


Love Among the Starlit Sands

by Meian_of_Yin_Yang, Miiv



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alliances, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Assassination Attempt(s), Brotherly Love, Desert, Falling In Love, Fan Characters, Fanchildren, Forbidden Love, Forced Marriage, Jungle, M/M, Other, Political Alliances, Servants, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25675591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meian_of_Yin_Yang/pseuds/Meian_of_Yin_Yang, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miiv/pseuds/Miiv
Summary: Onyx and Hex are not related in this AUverse.
Relationships: Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Kudos: 5





	1. Onyx

**Author's Note:**

> Onyx and Hex are not related in this AUverse.

In my desert homeland, you need to be tough and strong in order to withstand the blistering heat of the day, and the freezing cold of the night. My home is called The Oasis of the Stars, or Estaria as we call it, and I serve the chieftain's family as a servant. I obey the orders given to me without fail. My older half-brother, Serif, and my mother, Swap, both work at the temple where the chieftain and his family live, my brother being a guard with my mother as one of the cooks, while my father, Fell, is a guard to the city. In our land, there are few sources of water around our city, so during the dry season the water must be rationed. Our neighbors live in the jungle across a small stretch of grassland that is neutral ground between our lands. Recently, the last couple dry seasons have been extra warm, leaving us with less and less water to sustain everyone. In the last year, we lost some citizens to the heat and the Chieftain fears that this next dry season, we may lose more. My name is Onyx and this is the story of how my home was saved.

  
  


"Flaming beetle dung." Onyx hissed through his sharp teeth as he hurried to the temple, his yellow-eyes wide with slight panic. He had slept badly last night due to the heat, as the dry season was unusually dry that year, so he had woken up late and was now late to his first post. The yellow-eyed skeleton skidded into the servant’s quarters and hurried over to the Head Servant’s desk, who was a Fennec Fox type canine monster.

“You’re late.” He said.

“S...sorry, sir. It won’t happen again, sir.” Onyx replied. 

“It better not. You’re already too late to join the cleaning crew for the kitchen, so go help the laundry maids.”

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.” The skeleton said as he bowed to him, then quickly left to go do his job.

  
  


He sighed and wiped his forehead, pausing a bit from washing the clothes to look around a bit. The laundry maids had finished their loads and had headed back inside after hanging up the laundry. Since he had been late, he’d been given the most to do and was still stuck outside doing it. Onyx looked at the basket of clothes he had washed, which was almost half full, then at the two baskets he had left, one of which was half full still. The yellow-eyed skeleton let out a small groan, then went back to work doing his chore. He glanced over when he saw the shadow of someone approaching and looked up, quickly jumping to his feet and bowing when he saw who it was. “Princess Uni. It is good to see you out and about this morning.”

"Hello Onyx." They greeted, glancing around when they noticed it was just him, then saw the baskets he had. "Oh, that's quite a load you have there."

“I arrived at my post late, so this is my punishment for it. More work.” He replied, glancing up for a moment to see them frown a little and nod.

"Try to be careful. It's getting really hot out here."

“Thank you for your concern, Princess Uni, but I will manage. I can always dunk myself in the water if I get too warm.” He could hear them snort a bit, as if holding back laughter.

"Alright. Have a good day then."The male skeleton heard them say before hearing them walk away.  Onyx looked up to see them leave and stood up. He’d heard the other servants talk about Princess Uni and how well they treated them compared to those owned by the members of the Chieftain's council. During the few years he’s worked for the family, he’d seen the princess and their sister a handful of times, but never really interacted with them. The male skeleton shook his head and sighed, then turned to get back to work when he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. A hooded figure was in the shadows of one of the hedges, looking in the direction the princess had gone. Before he could say or do anything, the figure turned and left, soon vanishing from his view.

Onyx frowned, getting a bad feeling in his soul. He glanced down at the clothes he still had to wash, then back in the direction he'd seen the figure disappear. If someone was trailing the princess without them knowing, it could be bad. The skeleton quickly draped the wet clothes over the clothes line and carried the rest into the shade of the building before following the figure’s trail, hoping he was wrong. He followed the figure through the temple grounds, watching them trail after Uni in the shadows. The feeling in his soul grew stronger as Uni met up with their sister, Princess Aina, but then lost sight of the hooded figure for a while when the siblings split up after resting in the pool room and he had to choose which one to follow.

He eventually spotted Uni and Aina leaving the temple grounds with one of the skeleton guards and the figure following them. “Dung heap.” Onyx hissed and sprinted after them, hoping he made it to them before the figure could do anything...


	2. Uni

The heat of the desert is unbearable to most,unless you were born and raised in it. Even so, no one could stand it for hours without a break.

Uni sighed in relief as they entered the pool room, which also doubled as a spa of sorts. They went to the edge of one of the pools and sat down, dipping their legs into the cool water. The star eyed skeleton relaxed as they cooled off, more than ready for a good break. They looked up when they heard the door open and saw their younger sister, Aina, walk inside. "Get enough of the heat?" The younger skeleton nodded and sat next to them, looking a bit too flushed from the sun.

"Doesn't help that it's unusually hot today...I wonder if there really will be a drought." Aina said, looking worried. Uni frowned.

"It is a possibility...a small one, but maybe we should still talk to mother about it." The younger skeleton nodded in agreement. The two soaked for a bit longer to cool off before getting up and going to find their mother, unaware of someone watching and following them.

  
  


"Mother? Are you in here?" Uni called as they peeked into their mother's study, then frowned when he wasn't in there either. They closed the door and looked up as Aina walked up to them.

"He wasn't in the bedroom." She said,crossing her arms.

"Maybe we should ask the guards, see if they know where he's gone to." Uni suggested. As they said this, their sister spotted one of the guards walking by.

"Excuse me." She called, catching his attention. The guard, a male skeleton with white eyes and sharp teeth whom they recognized as Serif, stopped and quickly bowed.

"How may I help you, princesses?"

"Do you know where our mother is?" Aina asked him.

"I believe he went out to take care of things in the city. I saw him leave about an hour ago." He told them.

"I see. You're dismissed." She told him before turning back to her sibling. Serif nodded and continued on his way.

"Guess we'll have to wait then.." The younger skeleton muttered, crossing her arms. Uni glanced out a nearby window, thinking.

"I suppose...unless we spot him while we're out." Aina looked at them, opening her mouth to protest, but stopped.

"...I guess we do have some free time." Uni smiled at that and nodded. "I'll call the guard back so we can go." Aina said as they started heading out, getting guard’s attention and taking him along as they left the temple.

  
  


"Seems like the heat has just gotten worse.." Uni muttered as they went past the walls of the temple grounds with their sister, guard following behind them. They didn’t see any guards by the entrance, so they figured there was currently a change in shifts. Aina nodded in agreement, pulling up her hood to protect her head and eyes from the sun.

"Where should we start?" She asked, before suddenly stopping in her tracks. Uni noticed her stop and glance around, as if she'd heard something.

"Something wrong?" They asked her. The younger skeleton shrugged.

"Thought I saw something...must have been one of the guards or servants." Uni nodded and looked towards the city in thought.

"Wish we knew what kind of business mother went to take care of. Would help narrow down our search..." The older sibling wondered where to go first to look for their mother when they heard a grunt from behind and turned to see Serif being held by a hooded figure with a knife pressed against his neck, their eyes widening in shock. The figure’s face was hidden by the shadow of the hood so they were unable to see any details of the person’s face. Uni and Aina stopped, shocked and quickly growing afraid, both for themselves and the guard with a knife pressed against his throat. Uni noticed Serif try to struggle, but the stranger had a strong grip on him. Before they could say a word, Serif was knocked unconscious and the stranger turned their attention to the two siblings after dropping him to the ground, tightening their hold on the knife. Aina was the first to move, trying to grab her sibling's hand and run.

However, their attacker was faster and charged at them, holding their weapon at the ready. Uni managed to pull Aina closer to try and shield her from the attack, or to give her time to try and run. To their shock, the attacker was suddenly tackled to the ground, while the knife fell only inches away from their feet. They looked over, still holding their sister close. Their eyes widened when they saw Onyx, wrestling with the attacker. Said attacker had been caught by surprise, but was giving a good fight regardless from the looks of it.

The stranger pinned Onyx down and was trying to choke him. It looked like Onyx would faint as well, but instead he kicked their attacker against one of the pillars, hard too from the sound of it. They heard Onyx grunt when the attacker fell on top of him, having fallen unconscious from the impact. Uni motioned for Aina to help and they went over, helping Onyx push the stranger off of him. "Make sure Serif is okay." Uni told Aina, who nodded and rushed to check on said skeleton. They turned their attention back to Onyx, who was trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" They asked. The yellow eyed skeleton gave a quick nod, shaking a bit from the adrenaline.

“What about you? Are you alright Princess?” He asked as he looked at them. They nodded, looking him over for any injuries. Uni could see some slight bruising on his neck bones.

"We're fine, thanks to you." Onyx nodded.

“I’m glad to hear that.” They looked over at Aina and Serif, the latter had regained consciousness. "Can you stand?" Uni asked him. The guard nodded and got up, looking over at Onyx.

"That was dangerous, you could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse." He told Onyx, looking both mad and concerned.

“S...sorry Brother. But I saw them on the temple grounds after Princess Uni stopped by my work station. I...I just wanted to make sure they were okay.” The younger skeleton replied as he stood up.

"Can you help him to the infirmary?" Uni asked Serif, wanting to change the subject before things got more heated. Serif nodded.

"Let me just call more guards over to make sure they don't escape." He said, motioning at the attacker. He picked them up and threw them over his shoulder, telling the three of them to stay put while he took the attacker to the nearest guards. Uni turned their attention back to Onyx, looking at the bruises he had.

"Does it hurt?"

“It’s fine. I’ve had worse before I came to serve your family.” The yellow-eyed skeleton replied. Uni frowned at the last part, but let it be for now as it wasn't important. Once Serif came back, the group headed infirmary.

  
  


Uni and Aina waited while the healer checked up on Onyx, wanting to know how he was doing. The older sibling glanced towards the room Onyx had been taken into to see said healer come out and walk up to them an hour later. "How is he?" They asked.

"He'll be fine, the bruises aren't serious. Though i advised him to go home for the rest of the day, all that sudden adrenaline and being strangled could affect him later." The healer told them. Uni nodded.

"I'll talk to the person in charge of him, so he won't get in trouble...can we see him?" The healer shook their head.

"He's resting now, so I'm afraid not. I also heard your mother returned just moments ago. You were looking for him, right?" Aina nodded.

"Alright, we can thank Onyx later. Right?" She said and looked at Uni. They hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well, let's go talk to mother first." They looked back towards the room Onyx was in for a moment before following their sister out.

  
  
  


Once they stepped into their mother's study, both Uni and Aina were practically pulled into a hug by said mother, who held the two tightly. "Thank the stars you two are alright!" The older skeleton said, looking the two over for even a scratch.

"We're fine, a little shaken still, but fine." Uni told him. Dream pulled back once he was sure they were fine, looking relieved.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you two. What about the person who saved you?It was one of the servants, right?" He asked. Aina nodded.

"Onyx, he's resting at the infirmary. The healer said he'll be fine."

"Onyx? Swap and Fell's younger son?" Dream asked.

"I think so."Uni replied, remembering seeing Onyx with Swap a few times before. "Oh, we actually wanted to talk to you." They said, looking at their mother.

"About the heat, and the possibility of a bad dry season." Aina added. Dream nodded.

"That's actually why I was out today, I had an important meeting. You both know about the tribe that lives in the nearby jungle?" The two siblings looked at each other, a bit confused why their mother would ask, but nodded.

"It's a pretty small one, right?" Aina asked. Dream nodded.

"Only a little over a hundred. They're actually being threatened by another, much larger tribe for their easy access to water, food and land. So, their leader and I are trying to forge a deal, where they'll share with us their water in case a drought hits us, and we'll help them fight against the tribe threatening them." Uni and Aina stayed quiet as they listened to him explain, Uni looked at their sister when she spoke up.

"But we have no reason to trust them, and I doubt they would trust us immediately either.

How can we know they'll keep their word?" Uni frowned at her words, but couldn't really blame Aina for her mistrust.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Dream replied.


	3. Hex

"3..2..1! Ready or not, here I come!" Hex shouted as he uncovered his eyes.

The shout rang through the jungle, scaring off birds and some other animals. He chuckled a little and looked around, checking if Coda had done the mistake of hiding too close to him again. They weren't there, so he started jumping from tree to tree to go find them through the late afternoon air, noticing a grumpy looking jaguar on the way. Usually, a jungle would be a pretty dangerous place, with the predators, countless poisonous plants and mushrooms, not to mention the bugs. But when you've run away from a slave owner like a lot of their little tribe had, sleeping next to a jaguar wasn't so bad.

Hex paused when he heard something rustle, followed by a surprised squeak. He quickly followed the sound and spotted his younger sibling, who was currently being pecked to death by a small bird. "O-Ouch! That really hurt!" They whined and tried to get away, but the bird was persistent. Hex watched them, trying his best to hold back his laughter. Apparently, he failed as Coda noticed him. "It's not funny! Help me out!" He chuckled and went over, pulling them farther away while shooing the bird, which left them alone once the two got far enough.

"What'd you do to offend it? Step in it's nest?"

“No! ….but I got too close to it.” Coda replied, pouting a bit. The older skeleton nodded.

"At least you didn't squash any eggs."

“I’m always careful around the homes.” They said, looking at him.

"So, you wanna play again or start heading home? We still got some stuff to do before dark." Hex said. The grey skeleton nodded and held their arms up. “Boar back ride?” He grinned.

"You bet." They smiled and climbed onto his back. "Hold on."Hex told them and made sure they'd stay on his back before starting to jump from one tree to another towards their village.

“Whee~” Coda giggled. The older skeleton smiled and held onto their legs so they wouldn't fall. He could feel them tighten their grip a little. They soon got back to the village and landed on one of the tree houses. Hex crouched down to let Coda down. They slid off and looked up at him. “That was fun~!” He smiled.

"Glad to hear it, what should we start with?"

“Um…”

“Brother Hex, Brother Coda.” A female voice called from below. Both looked down towards the voice. A female skeleton with yellow eyes was looking up at them, whom they recognized as their sister Electra. “Father wants you in his meeting room. A messenger from the desert tribe has come in.” She told him. Hex looked at Coda.

"Well, at least it's a good excuse to avoid chores. Thanks Electra." He said and waved to her before he let Coda climb back onto his back. “Let's go." He said before heading towards the meeting room.

  
  


"Dad! We're here."Hex called as he walked into the room with Coda. The black-boned skeleton looked over. Next to him was a tall and lanky male skeleton with slightly dark aqua eyes and claws, dark aqua eyeshadow, linen pants with an open vest shirt, sandals, and golden brown cat-like ears and tail with black spots and rings.

"There you are. We have a messenger from the desert tribe." He told them. The tall skeleton bowed.

"My name is JuJu. I am Chief Dream's personal messenger." He said as he introduced himself. "It is an honor to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too..so, why exactly are you here?" Hex asked, setting Coda down.

“Bringing my message from Chieftain Dream. He has agreed to help your tribe in exchange for access to your water during the dry seasons. But, he wants to make sure that you keep your word.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at his dad, then back to the messenger.

"And how'd we do that?"

“I’ve already thought of that.” Error said. “You will marry Chief Dream’s heir.” Hex blinked as he looked at him, looking dumbfounded.

"Um..did you say marry?" The larger skeleton nodded.

“This will ensure peace between our tribes and strengthen us. They have good weapons, we have good food and water. Uniting us will make us stronger and protect our land better. The Falling Claws tribe will no longer be a threat to us.” He nodded, still very unsure about the idea. Error turned back to the messenger. “Tell your chieftain my proposal and that I will send my son and his sister over to meet with his heir and begin the planning.” JuJu bowed.

“As you wish.” He said, then left the room. Once the messenger was gone, Hex turned his attention back to his dad.

"You're completely sure about this idea?" The black skeleton looked at him and nodded.

“I am. We need this alliance with the desert tribe if we want to stand a chance against our enemy. Everything we’ve worked for will be for nothing if they take us over.” He told him, looking serious. He frowned and glanced down at Coda, thinking.

"...Fine. It can't be that bad, if they'll help us."

“I have heard good things about Dream’s heir, so I know they will be a good mate for you. Plus, you’ve pretty much rejected everyone in our own tribe that’s had interest in you.” Error added, with a slightly annoyed tone at the last part. He shrugged.

"They just didn't feel right, I guess."

“Some of them were meanies anyway.” Coda commented, making a face as they stuck out their tongue. Hex chuckled at that.

"Yeah, good point."

“Either way, a marriage between our tribes is important and it must happen. Coda is too young to be married off and Electra is not my birth child.” The black skeleton said as he leaned back in his seat. “This will be your most important duty, Hex, and I expect you to make sure you do this.”

"..Okay, that's a lot of pressure."Hex replied, getting a bit nervous now with how serious Error was being.

“I know...but as far as I know, there’s really no other choice for us. Our jungle allies are too far and it’d be too dangerous to send a messenger to them with the Falling Claw tribe nearly surrounding us. When you become chief, you’ll have to make difficult decisions like this to ensure the survival of your people.” He told him, his gaze softening a little. “Your mother understood that very well.” Hex nodded.

"..Yeah."

“You two may leave now. Prepare to journey to the desert tribe.” Hex nodded and gestured for Coda to follow before they left the meeting room.

“...maybe you’ll end up liking them?” The younger sibling said as they looked at their brother.

Hex glanced down at them and shrugged.

"Maybe." Electra was waiting further down the walkway, looking towards the two when they got closer.

“So what did Father want?”

"Long story short, we gotta get a deal with the desert tribe if we want to survive. And to do that, I gotta go and marry their heir." Hex explained as he looked at her. Her eyes widened at that.

“Wow. Well, it shouldn’t be too bad, right? I mean, at least he’s not marrying you to the Falling Claw tribe to get them to stop attacking us.” She said.

"..Okay, when you put it like that, my situation doesn't seem nearly as bad." He replied. Coda nodded in agreement. He looked down at them. "We should go get our chores done, before we get yelled at."

“Yeah. Don’t like that.” They said, sticking their tongue out again. Hex patted their head, then looked over at Electra.

"See ya later, Ella." He said before leaving with Coda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JuJu belongs to NoteDoesArt on DeviantArt


	4. Serif

Serif sighed as he left the infirmary, rubbing his skull. "Flaming dung heaps. Onyx could have gotten himself killed doing that. And I'm a dung brain for letting myself be caught off guard like that." He muttered, angry with his brother and himself. The male skeleton took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "At least the Princesses are safe. The chieftain would have my head if anything had happened to them." He looked up when he heard someone approach, seeing Swap quickly round a corner. The blue eyed skeleton slowed a bit when he spotted him. "Oh. Hello Mother."

"Serif, I-I heard what happened. Are you okay? What about Onyx?" The older skeleton asked, panting a little.

"We're both fine. Just some bruises." He told him. "Onyx is resting in the infir-"

"Did you see him?Can I go see him?" Swap asked quickly, clearly worried still.

"Mom. Calm down. He is fine. Like I said, he's resting at the moment, so I'm sure the healer doesn't want him being disturbed." He looked at him for a moment, then sighed.

"Fine…" Serif gave his mom a hug.

“I’m sorry we worried you. But we should go back to our posts.” He said after pulling back. Swap gave a small nod.

"Alright." The younger skeleton nodded, then gave his mom another hug before heading off to the guards’ headquarters to give his report. He headed down the hall that led to the room and entered through the curtain.

“Is Commander Alphys in?” Serif asked as he looked over at one of his fellow guards. They nodded and he headed to the commander’s room, then knocked on the door.

"Get in!" A rough sounding voice called from inside. Serif gave a small gulp before opening the door and walking in, bowing low.

“Commander, I’ve come with a report.” He said, addressing the muscular yellow lizard monster.

"You better not leave out a single detail. This is serious, soldier." She replied, tail moving from side to side as she looked at him. The male skeleton nodded.

“Of course, M’am. I was doing my usual rounds around the temple when Princess Aina approached, asking for where Chieftain Dream was. I responded, saying that he had business in town. Then shortly after, they requested that I escort them to the city. We headed to the wall and hadn’t gone very far when we were attacked.” He told her, then grew nervous. “I...I, regrettably, had ignorantly lowered my guard, not thinking we would have been targeted so close to the temple, and was caught off guard and quickly knocked out. My….brother...had followed and was able to save the princesses. I regained consciousness and took the assailant to some guards that had heard the commotion and put them away. I escorted the princesses and my brother back inside the temple to be looked over.” Alphys nodded after he was done, staring at him without even a slight change of expression.

"Serif. As one of the guards trusted with guarding over the Chieftain and his family, it is a huge mistake to let your guard down in any situation, especially when said family is trusting you to make sure nothing happens to them.” Serif flinched, knowing she was right.

“I understand, and I’m willing to accept any punishment you may give me.” He said. She nodded.

"Since your brother will be sent home, you'll be the one to finish his work for the day."

“As you wish.” Serif replied. Alphys nodded.

"Good, you'll start with the cleaning crew in the courtyard. Dismissed." Serif nodded and bowed before leaving the room. He sighed, knowing he was in for a lot of work, but it had to be done so he held his tongue in as he headed to the servant's quarters to meet with his brother's superior. The skeleton knocked on the door before coming in. The Fennec monster looked up and smirked.

"Well, well, well. If it ain't the guard who failed his job. Come to see if servant work is better suited for ya?" Serif clenched his fists a little.

"I just stopped in to let you know I'll be joining the cleaning crew in the courtyard."

"Oh good. And while you're at it, you can finish Onyx's job of finishing up the laundry this afternoon, then this evening head to the stables to take care of the camels, horses, and shepacas." The skeleton nodded, silently dreading the last task.

"As you wish." He said, bowing to him before turning and leaving the room.

  
  


Serif tried not to gag at the smell as he cleaned the dung out of the stalls that evening, but put up with it anyway as it was part of his punishment for failing his job. Though he was starting to grow tired and warm from all the moving around he’d been doing, even though it should’ve started to cool down by now. “You, stable boy.” He sighed and looked over at where the voice had come from and saw JuJu. “Where is Chief Dream?”

“At this time, he should be in the meeting room with the council.” Serif replied. The skeleton hybrid nodded and headed off. He sighed and continued mucking out the stalls. Once he’d finished, he took the cart that he had piled the dung into and pulled it towards the garden compost area to deposit. Serif gritted his teeth a little when he heard some of his fellow guards chuckle and watch him, either because he was doing lowly servant’s work, or because they had heard about this failure...or maybe even both if he thought about it long enough. He did his best to ignore them, as some of the other guards came from noble families and didn’t have to work to get to their ranks while people like himself had to struggle to even be acknowledged.

Thankfully he soon reached the compost pile and stopped, making sure the cart was stopped in place before leaving to head in for the night, hopefully to get a bath to wash off the stench. The skeleton paused though when he heard some of the older guards approach and saluted to them, but they seemed to be deep in their conversation to notice.

“-as dead. They found a small bottle of strong poison, too.”

“Do you think someone in the Temple did it?” The younger of the two asked. The older man shook his head.

“Highly doubt it. Bastard probably had it on himself. Most likely had valuable information if he was willing to kill himself like that.” Serif frowned and went over.

“Excuse me, sirs.” The two stopped and looked at him. “May I ask what you are discussing?”

“The attacker that was brought in earlier today was found dead when Commander Alphys went to interrogate him a couple hours ago. They found a bottle of poison beside his body, so it seems like he poisoned himself.”

“Oh my….that’s not good.” The skeleton said.

  
“No, it’s not.” The older guard replied, then sighed and rubbed his forehead. “We better keep going. Be on your way.” Serif nodded and headed to the washroom, thinking about what he’d heard.  _ The attacker was poisoned….but...did he really do it himself, or…..was the other guard right and that he had inside help? I just hope the older guard is right and it really was just the attacker. _


	5. Uni

When Uni woke up the next morning, their bed champers had already heated up quite a bit, even if the sun had only been shining for a couple hours at most. They sighed and got up to wash themselves, already sweating from the heat. Once clean, they headed out of the chamber and to the dining hall, spotting Aina along the way. “Good morning.” They greeted.

“Morning Sib.” She replied as she rubbed her forehead.  
  
“Sleep well?” Uni asked, noting she seemed a bit groggy still.

“As best I could with the heat.” The younger skeleton told them, letting out a small sigh. “I can’t wait for the rainy season to come. It’ll be such a relief for everyone.”  
  
“Agreed.” The older sibling replied, looking up as they entered the dining hall where Dream was already waiting. As usual, their uncle’s spot was empty, as it was too hot for him to really leave his work room for long.   
  
“Morning.” Dream said as he looked up at the two.   
  
“Morning.” The two siblings replied as they took their seats, both going for the cups of water first. The three sat in silence for a moment before Dream cleared his throat, catching his children’s attention.

  
“I have some news, our messenger returned from the jungle tribe last evening, with a response from their chief. He proposes a marriage to unite our tribes, between our eldest heirs.” It took a moment for his words to really register with Uni.

  
“...What?” They asked after a moment, unsure if they’d heard right.   
  
“It is the best solution, his heir will arrive tomorrow morning to meet with us.” Dream explained.

“You want Uni, the star blossom of the desert, to marry one of those savages?” Aina asked. Dream turned to her.

  
“Aina, they are not savages. The Falling Claws are giving the other tribes living there a bad image. Most of them have been very peaceful until now.” She let out a dubious huff. “I know it might not be the most desirable option, but it is the best we have if we want our tribe to survive.” He told them. Uni frowned a bit and looked down, suddenly losing their appetite.

  
“I see…May I be excused?” Dream nodded and watched them leave the room, sighing a little.   
  
  
Uni didn’t really pay attention as they left the room and walked down a hall, too deep in though. They almost bumped into one of the servants and apologized before continuing on their way. “Married to someone I don’t even know...could this get worse?” They muttered, and quickly regretted saying that when they bumped into someone fully this time.   
  


“That depends.” A familiar deep voice said as hands gently grabbed their shoulders to steady them. Uni looked up, a bit caught off guard at first until they realized who they’d run into.

  
“Oh, morning Uncle.”

“Morning, little blossom.” Nightmare said as his deep blue-indigo eyes glanced over them. “You look like you have troubles on your mind. Mind informing me of what thoughts plague it?” They sighed.

  
“Mother just informed me that to unite us with the jungle tribe, I’ll be marrying their heir.”

“I see...would you like me to consult the gods on this matter, see what lies in your future?” The older skeleton asked. The younger skeleton considered the offer.

  
“..I suppose.”

“Then let us head to the inner chambers of the temple.” Nightmare said and headed down one of the other halls that lead deeper into the building. Uni watched him for a moment before following him, feeling the air get a bit cooler as they went deeper down to the inner chambers. The lower levels of the temple were mostly used for storage, altars, and Nightmare’s study, but the latter wasn’t really for just anyone to walk into, mostly to prevent anyone from messing with some of the dangerous potions and objects in the study.

The two walked into one of the chambers, which contained an altar and a statue of the goddess Kriana. Candles were littered across the room, all lit with flames that seemingly never burned out. Nightmare went over to one of the tables off to the side and picked up a small stone bowl and some herbs from different piles. His eyes closed as his hand moved over to a row of small crystals, hovering over them before picking a milky white one. The male skeleton opened his eyes and walked over to the altar and lowered himself onto his knees in front of it. Words from a strange language flowed from his mouth as he started to chant, placing the bowl before him, then set the herbs and crystal in it.

A small blue flame appeared on the palm of his hand and slid into the bowl, lighting the herbs on fire and filling the room with a woody and floral scent. Uni watched silently with interest, still a little amazed by the sight despite having seen it quite a few times. Their gaze shifted to the bowl as it’s contents started smoking.

The smoke swirled about in the air in front of Nightmare as his eyes seemed to become unfocused and his chanting stopped. They saw the smoke moving in an odd way, forming into many different shapes that they couldn’t really recognize. The smoke suddenly evaporated, leaving no trace of it behind whatsoever. Uni turned their attention back to their uncle as Nightmare took a deep breath, then slowly let it out as his eyes focused again and he looked down at the bowl, his expression shifting slightly. “Well....there’s some good news, and some bad news.” He said.  
  
“Um..good news first please.” Uni replied.

“Good news is that you will eventually end up with someone that you love.” They nodded.

  
“..And the bad news?”

“...you end up marrying the Jungle Heir no matter what.”  
  
“I...was not expecting that.” They said, unsure what to think. Nightmare sighed and picked up the bowl, then stood up before placing it on the altar and bowing.

“It’s what I was shown. The bonding ribbon of the royal wedding, tying together the sacred star blossom you were named after and the fang of a jungle cat. I saw this with such clarity that this event will happen regardless of what you attempt to avoid it. For the good news, I saw the blossom of a desert rose, the same one your mother gave to your father when he chose him as his mate.”  
  
“So, there’s really only two possibilities. Either I end up loving them, or someone else despite being married…” Uni said, not sure which option they preferred, if either. The older skeleton stood up and looked at them.

“I cannot say for sure. Even the gods cannot always see the future with a clear vision. Paths often change, like when a boulder falls into a river and changes its direction. All I can say is that you must have faith.” He told them.  
  
“Alright..thank you uncle.” Uni said, though the news had done little to help the situation, they still appreciated his help.

“You’re welcome. Now head on up. Don’t want to be late for your lessons.” The younger skeleton smiled a bit and nodded, bowing to the statue as well before heading back up to the upper level.  
  
  
  
  
“Stars, history can be so...boring when you listen to it for hours on end.” Uni muttered as they walked with Aina, taking a break from their history lesson.

“Agreed. But...it is useful, especially for learning from our ancestor’s mistakes. I still can’t believe our tribe used to be ruthless with the servants. Putting one to death for simply bringing the wrong meal? Disgusting.” She said, making a face. The older sibling nodded in agreement.

  
“I just wish they could make the lessons a bit less..dull? I suppose. The teacher’s voice makes me sleepy.” Aina chuckled a bit.

“His voice sounds like a rumbling grain mill.” Uni snorted a little at that.

“That’s a close comparison.” The younger sibling smiled.

“Oh. Mother wants us to head over to Swap and Fell’s place later this morning to speak with the servant who saved us.” They looked at her.

  
“You mean Onyx?”

“If that is his name, then yes. Him.” The older skeleton nodded.

  
“I was wondering how he’s doing, did mother say what we were going to talk about?” She shook her head.   
  
“Will be nice to see him..and get something else to think about.” They said, muttering the last part.

“What do you mean?” Aina asked, her head tilting slightly.  
  
“I’m still not fully..into this marriage idea.” They replied, glancing out as they passed a doorway that led out to a balcony.

“Oh...I would offer to take your place, but I’ve already taken my vow to become Uncle’s apprentice and you know how seriously he takes it.” They shook their head.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that, or accept it if you offered.” The younger sibling gave a small nod.  
  
“I’ll just..try to stay hopeful, maybe it won’t be so bad.” Uni said as they looked at her. She gave a doubtful look.

“If you say so.” They sighed.

  
“You could at least pretend to be supportive.”

“Uni, you know how I feel about arranged marriages, especially political ones.” Aina said. “It’s rare for someone that’s forced into one to end up being happy. But...I suppose I could try. At least until we meet your mate-to-be and see what they’re like.” The older skeleton smiled a little.

  
“Thank you. Who knows, if I'm lucky they might be nice. Nice enough for even you to like.”

“We’ll see.”  
  
The older skeleton smiled and playfully patted her skull, though they couldn’t help silently agreeing with her...


	6. Onyx

Onyx sighed as he sat in the main room of the house, watching over his little twin sisters as they played with their toys, which were old and worn. It was hot out, so he couldn’t really do any chores around the house. Not that his mom would have allowed him to, considering he was still supposed to be resting. He looked over at the girls, who were away from the sunlight that shone through the windows. The two were happily playing together, happy to get to spend some time with Onyx for once, since he spent most of his time working. The older skeleton smiled a little. “You girls still doing okay?” He asked. The two looked over at him.

“We’re good. Could we get some water though?” Sarah asked.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Onyx replied as he got up, then headed out to the well by the house, as the oasis and river that flowed from it was more towards the center of the village. He picked up the bucket that was by the door and went over to the stone structure. The yellow-eyed skeleton tied the bucket to the rope and lowered it down, hoping there was some water still left. The bucket felt a bit heavier when he lifted it back up, and looked into it, seeing a little bit of water in it. “Not the cleanest...but at least we have stuff to filter the gunk out.” He muttered, then untied the bucket before heading back to the door. The twins looked up at their brother when he came back in.

“Was there any left?” Sasha asked him.

“Some, but it needs to be filtered first before I can give it to you.” The older skeleton replied as he went over to the kitchen area. The girls glanced at each other, looking concerned at his words. Onyx set the bucket on the counter, then grabbed another one they had. This one had a cloth covering the opening that was tied onto the bucket. He slowly and carefully poured the water into the cloth to filter out the mud and sand. Once the water was filtered, there wasn’t really much left of it, as it’d mostly been the dirt.

Onyx sighed and put the water into some cups they had before going back over to his sisters. “Here you go.” He said. The two thanked him and quickly drank the water, a bit disappointed when there wasn’t that much of it. The older skeleton looked up when he heard a knock on the door. Sarah quickly got up and went over to a window where she could see the front door from.

  
“Um...there’s guards at the door.” Onyx’s eyes widened and he went over to quickly pull her back from the window. “Go to Mom and Dad’s room.” He told the girls. Sasha nodded and grabbed her sister’s hand.

“Come on Sis.” She said. The younger twin glanced back at their brother before following her twin to their parents room just as there was another knock on the door. Onyx went over and opened the door slightly, feeling nervous. Two tall guards stood at the door, looking down at him when he opened the door.

  
“Are you Onyx?” One of them asked.

“I am.” He replied. The two looked past him, trying to see into the house. After a moment, they stepped to the side to reveal a couple more guards, as well as the chief and the princesses standing behind them. His eyes widened in shock and he quickly bowed. “Chief Dream, princesses. I-it’s an honor. W-what can I do for you?” Dream stepped closer, looking him over.

“You’re the one who saved my children yesterday, correct?” Onyx nodded. The older skeleton nodded and bowed. “Thank you Onyx. Words alone can’t fully express how grateful I am.” His eyes widened even more in shock when the chieftain bowed to him, it...made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

“I just...did what anyone else would have done.”

“You still saved their lives, and I will always be grateful for it.” Dream replied as he stood up, looking at him. “Can we come inside? There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Onyx nodded and stepped to the side as he opened the door some more. “Thank you.” The older skeleton said as they walked in, two of the guards staying outside. The young male skeleton let the three have the couch while he sat on the floor.

“....what did you want to talk to me about?” Onyx asked.

“I’ll go straight to the point. Would you consider joining the guard?” Dream asked him. His eyes widened in surprise.

“....what?”

  
“You could make a fine guard with proper training. You followed an assassin without them noticing you were ever there and took them out by yourself. That is impressive.” Onyx lowered his gaze.

“I didn’t fully follow them though. I was only able to stop him cause I figured he was following the princesses, so I just followed them. I just happen to know the layout of the temple better cause I always need to take shortcuts so I don’t push myself too hard.”

“Still, I’d like you to at least consider the offer. And if you choose not to take the offer, then I want to reward you in some other way.” Dream told him. The younger skeleton glanced towards his parents room where his sisters were hiding and thought for a moment.

“...if I were to accept, what would happen to my family?”

  
  
“What do you mean?”

“...we live very close to the outskirts of the village. Our well water isn’t the best and we’ve been lucky none of us have gotten sick from it. But going to the oasis or river is a long walk and with the heat, that would likely affect us faster than filthy water.” Dream nodded.

“I see. If you were to accept I think your family could move up closer to the center of the village. The water situation isn’t much better there at the moment, but it would give you all a bit more room and move you closer to anything you might need.” Onyx thought for a few moments, then gave a small nod.

“I’ll talk about this with my mother and father when they return from their work, see what they think.” He replied.

“Of course. Think you’ll have an answer by tomorrow?” The younger skeleton nodded. “Then it’s settled. Come see me in the temple tomorrow in the morning. If you decide to decline, we can come up with something else for you and your family.” Dream said.

“Thank you sir.” The older skeleton nodded and stood up.

  
“We best be going then, I'll see you tomorrow.” Onyx got up and bowed.

“It was an honor to have you and your children bless our home with your visit.”

  
  
“Thank you for having us. Have a good day.” The older skeleton replied before they turned to leave. He stood up and turned to watch them leave. His breath caught in his throat when his eyes locked with Uni’s bright clear blue ones and stared for a moment before quickly looking away. The blue eyed skeleton looked at him for a moment before leaving as well, the guards closing the door behind them. Onyx sighed and rubbed his skull, then looked towards the bedrooms.

“You girls can come out now.” He called. The twins quickly came out of the room, Sarah ran to the window and watched the group leave.

“Why’d we have to wait in the bedroom?” She asked, pouting a bit as she looked at Onyx.

“Because not all guards are like Serif and Father, and some have certain views on what girls should and shouldn’t do.” He replied. She huffed a bit at that.

“They sound mean.”

“Be glad you don’t have to have a job yet then. There’s a lot of mean people out there.”

  
  
“...Soooo, are you gonna be a guard?” She asked.

“Maybe. I still need to think about it.” He replied, sitting on the couch in the spot where Uni had happened to sit. The male skeleton could smell the faint scent of the princess’s perfume, which smelled of palm wood and cactus roses. The girls sat down on either side of him.

“I think you could make a good guard, like Serif and Papa.” Sarah told him. He looked at her.

“Even though I’m not that strong?”

“But you are really strong.” She argued. He just gave a small smile. She smiled back and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around his sisters and relaxed.

Later that night, his parents and brother returned from their jobs and Onyx helped his mom with making dinner. “So how did the day go for you three?” Fell asked as he looked at him and the girls.

“It went well. Though…Chief Dream and his children stopped by.” The younger male skeleton replied.

  
  
“What for?” He asked, looking surprised.

“To thank me for saving the princesses.” The older skeleton nodded, relaxing a little.

“That’s all?”

“...he also wants me to join the guard.” Serif looked over as well.

“Join the guard? What did you say?”

“I didn’t give him an answer yet. He did say that if I did join, we could move closer to the center of the village so we have easier access to cleaner water and have more room for us. And if I didn’t, he’d still give me a reward.” He replied.

“So, any idea if you’re going to accept or not?” Fell asked.

“I wanted to see what you and Mother thought of it. This has been our home for years...I figured you deserved a say in my decision.” The red eyed skeleton paused and glanced at his mate.

  
“It would be easier and safer to live there...”

“And our food would be fresher if it wasn’t out in the sun for so long, too.” Swap added.

  
  
“The work and training is pretty harsh, think you could handle it?” Fell asked, looking at Onyx.

“Honestly….I’m not entirely sure. I just want us to have a better life, even if by a little bit. And if I have to put up with wood in quicksand people, then...so be it I guess?”

  
  
“Just think carefully about it before you choose.” Serif told him. The younger brother nodded.

“I don’t have to give my response until tomorrow morning, so I have some time to think about it.”

“Wouldn’t have to deal with that meanie boss of yours at least.” Sarah commented.

“...yeah, he can go get his butt pricked on cacti.” Onyx said. Sarah and Fell chuckled at that. The yellow-eyed skeleton smiled.

Soon supper was finished, a small meal of dried dates, smoked strips of fish, and some vegetables that had survived the heat. Serif and Fell talked about their guards tasks and if anything interesting had happened during their patrols. Onyx listened in a little. “They still haven’t found out who the assassin was or who sent him.” Serif said.

“That’s not good, especially since I heard that Princess Uni is to be engaged to the heir of the neighboring jungle tribe.” Fell added. The yellow-eyed skeleton looked up when he heard this.

“What? Why?” He asked. The eldest skeleton looked at his son.

“Chief Dream wants to ally our tribes and the Shadow Fangs’ chief has offered to unite our tribe through marriage. The chieftain has agreed and the Shadow Fang’s heir and healer apprentice will be here tomorrow.” Fell told him.

“Oh. I...guess that makes sense.” Onyx said. He nodded and went back to eating. The rest of dinner went by peacefully and the six of them went to their rooms to get as much rest as they could. When morning came, Onyx got ready with his brother and father before the three of them headed to the temple. As they approached the eastern gate, one of the guards stopped him and his brother.

"Chief Dream wants to see the both of you and has requested you go straight to the center chamber." The guard said. They looked at each other, a bit confused, but nodded and bid their dad goodbye for the day before heading to the chamber. Dream looked up when they arrived. The brothers bowed as they lowered onto their knees.

"My lord, you requested us?"

"I have, but first...Onyx, have you thought about your decision?" He asked. The younger skeleton paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I have, Great Chief. I accept your offer. I would be honored to become a member of your guard and serve the family as a protector."


	7. Hex

“..Nah, won’t need that.” Hex muttered to himself as he threw a headdress he’d been holding off to the side, trying to pack what he needed for the journey to the desert in a short while... He glanced up when he heard footsteps and saw his siblings by the door. “Hey, wanna help out? I’m having a bit of trouble here.” Electra sighed and went over.

“You’re lucky I’ve already finished my packing.” She told him.  
  
“Oh cut me some slack, I'm the one getting married.” He replied.

“True, but this isn’t the first trip you’ve had to take to another tribal village.”  
  
“Yes, but this is the first time going on a trip that’s supposed to result in my marriage and hopefully the safety of our tribe, so...it’s a bit different. Besides, I have no idea how long it’ll be before I can come back.”

“...I guess so. But we can always get stuff there if need be. I highly doubt our food will last long in the heat over there, so we at least need enough to get there.” The younger skeleton said. He nodded and glanced down at his bag.

  
“Another problem is, dad told me to figure out something to give as a premarital gift...but I have no idea what it should be.”

“...well, what about something of your mother’s?” Electra suggested. “My mother told me her love gave her his mother’s gem and claw necklace that she made herself, then she gave it to me when I reached childhood.” The older skeleton paused at this and glanced over at a wall of his hut where a headscarf was hanging. It was old, but well taken care of.  
  


“..Maybe, I’ll have to think about it.” She nodded. Hex looked at the scarf for a moment before glancing over at Coda, who’d been quiet till now. 

  
“You’ll take care of stuff here while I’m gone, right?” The young grey skeleton looked over and nodded.

“Yeah.” He smiled and patted their skull.

  
“That’s the spirit.” Coda smiled a bit. Hex pulled back and groaned a little.

  
“I’m not looking forward to the trip at all, it’s a long way to go under the sun...” He sighed and sat back on the bed.

“Well, Father wants us to leave soon so we reach the edge of the grasslands by sunset and make the trek to Estaria in the early morning, when it’s still relatively cool.” Electra told him.  
  
“Still, we’re gonna live in the desert for who knows how long, during a possible drought no less.” He told her.

“Hopefully it isn’t for too long.” She replied. He nodded in agreement and threw a few more things into his bag.

  
“I have no idea how they can even live there, it’s so hot and dry and just full of nothing but sand.”

“That's why they live in an oasis, beetle brain.” The female skeleton said, flicking his skull. “If they didn’t, they’d be traveling around from place to place like a lot of other desert people do.” Hex huffed and pulled back when she flicked his skull.

  
“Whatever you say Ella.” He muttered and went to pick up the scarf, folding it neatly before putting it into the bag as well. “Hm...I think that’s everything.” She nodded and got up.

“Let’s go meet up with father before we head out then.” The older skeleton nodded and picked up his bag, then looked at Coda.

  
“Wanna ride there?” They shook their head.

“I’m heading somewhere else, but I’ll meet up with you two before you leave to say goodbye.”  
  
“Aww, fine. See you there then.” He patted their skull before leaving with Electra. The two walked over to their father’s hut, which was set up on one of the higher trees around the area. They had to cross one of the rope bridges to get there. “Hey Dad.” Hex greeted when he saw the older skeleton. He looked over.

“Do you have everything packed and ready to go?” The black skeleton asked as he stood up from his seat.  
  
“Yup, everything’s ready to go.” He replied, setting his bag down for now.

“Good. Now, I have something to give you. Come here, son.” Hex raised an eyebrow, but nodded and walked over to him. He faced him and held out a leather cord necklace with a blackened fang on it with black stones on either side. “Take this.” Hex held out his hand and took the necklace.

  
“What’s this?”

“The symbol of our village. It is to be passed down to the heir of the tribe when they are to be married. It signifies that the lineage continues and is strong.” He nodded and looked up at the older skeleton.

  
“Thanks Dad.”

“Wear it proudly, my son. Show them our tribe is strong despite our troubles.” The younger skeleton nodded and put the necklace on. “And be sure not to lose it, otherwise I’ll feed yer hide to the boars.” Hex snorted.

  
“I won’t. Wouldn’t want that again.”

“Good. Electra, keep your brother out of trouble and make sure he’s respectable to those in the desert tribe.”

“I will, sir.” She replied, bowing to him. Error nodded.

“And both of you be careful. I doubt everyone will agree to this marriage and just let it happen. Be prepared for anything that may happen. The safety and beliefs of our tribe depend on this alliance going through.”  
  
“We’ll be fine, gotta grab a few weapons just in case before we leave though.” Hex said, looking at Electra. The female skeleton nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Don’t want any vicious little bats trying to nibble on us.” She said, grinning at her brother. Hex glared at her.

  
“You promised we wouldn’t talk about that..” Electra chuckled while Error sighed and shook his head.

“Behave you two. Finish preparing your things and stop by the food cache to pick up your meals and gifts to offer the desert tribe upon your arrival. I made sure the hunters saved the best parts of our recent kills and the gatherers got the best fruit and freshest water to give them.” The two looked back up at him and nodded.

  
“Got it.” Hex said. He nodded, then dismissed them. They left the tent and headed to the food cache. Hex paused when he noticed movement on the ground and noticed Coda. “What are they doing down there?” Electra looked over. He watched them run off, realizing they were going in a familiar direction. “..Oh..should have guessed.”

“...your mom’s..?” Electra guessed.  
  
“Yup, seems like it.”Hex replied, feeling a little bad as he watched Coda go. She gave a small nod. “It’s a shame that they didn’t get the chance to know mom.” The older skeleton said.

“...what was she like? I heard she was a wonderful chieftess, but what about her being a mom?” Electra asked.  
  
“Oh, she was great. The sweetest person I’ve ever known, but she’d scare anyone if she really wanted to.” Hex replied, chuckling a little at a memory. “That includes Dad.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened a little at this.  
  
“You can ask dad. He’s too scared what she’d do to him from the afterlife if he tried to lie.”

“Wow. She really does sound amazing.” Hex nodded.

  
“You don’t know the half of it…” The taller skeleton slowly wrapped an arm around him. He leaned into it a little. “Thanks Electra, and thank the stars you’re coming with me.”

“Hey, someone’s got to make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself in front of your mate-to-be.” She said, grinning a bit. He snorted and pushed her arm off.

  
“Oh come on, I’m not that bad.”

“Oh really? What about the one time when we visited the Swaying Branches tribe and you had to get freed from the vines you got tangled in because you just had to do a dare someone challenged you to?”  
  
“That was different, that asshole was being an arrogant ass.” He replied.

“And you made yourself look like a clumsy fool. Even Coda did better than you at the dare.” The older skeleton sighed.

  
“They purposely had the guy with the nice butt go ahead of me. They knew my weaknesses better than I did.”

“Still...oh, and what about when we visited the Clashing Tusks?” Hex quickly put a hand over her mouth before she could say anymore.

  
“Electra, you swore on your life we would never speak of it. I have a knife on me in case you want to break that promise.” She chuckled and pulled back.

“All I’m saying is that for those times, I wasn’t there and you made a fool of yourself.” Hex sighed as he pulled his hand back.

  
“I get it, you don’t trust me to go by myself and not mess up for even five seconds.”

“You do have a strong mischievous streak.”  
  
“That I learned from mom, to be fair.” He replied and kept walking towards the food cache.

Electra looked up when they got to the cave and shuddered a little. “Hey Horror.” Hex greeted as they walked over to said skeleton, who just let out a grunt to let them know he’d heard them. “Came to pick up the food. Dad said you set some aside for us to take.” The taller skeleton glanced up from his work, as if thinking, before he stood up and pulled up two tall pack baskets, setting them down in front of the two. One was lighter and cleaner, while the second bag smelt of blood and was a bit stained by it. Horror looked at the two, as if asking if it was what they were looking for. “Thanks a lot.” Hex said as he picked up the meat basket, leaving the other for Electra to take.

As Electra reached out to take the basket, a large axe fell to the table beside her hand, sinking into the wood. She quickly pulled back and looked at Horror, who whistled innocently as he cleaned said axe. Her eyes were still wide as she took the basket before quickly backing away. “Come on Electra, see you later Horror.” Hex said before leaving. Horror grunted again, then glanced at Electra and gave a small grin. She shuddered and quickly walked away, going a bit faster than Hex.  
  
“You in a hurry?”Hex asked when she passed him. The younger skeleton said nothing. Hex raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off and continued walking…   
  


Later the same evening, Hex and Electra had everything ready for the trip. They lowered down from the trees and down to the ground, seeing Coda waiting for them there. The youngest skeleton went over and hugged the two. “Be careful.” They said.  
  
“Promise.”Hex said and hugged them back. Electra did the same. “You take care of yourself and everyone else, okay?” He asked, looking at Coda. Coda smiled and nodded.

“I will. And I’ll take care of Dad as well, make sure he doesn’t get too lonely.”

  
“That’s a tough task, I wish you luck.”Hex said, half joking and half serious. They giggled a little.

“We should get going. We have a long trek.” Electra said. Hex nodded and gave Coda one more hug before pulling back.

  
“See you soon, hopefully. And please make sure no one tries to sneak into my hut while we’re gone.”

“I’ll put all of our spiders and snakes at the entrance and windows.” The older skeleton chuckled and patted their head.

  
“You’ve learned well.” He said and booped their nose before walking over to Electra. She looked towards the east, in the direction they were to go to get to the desert village.

“You ready?” Hex glanced back at their village, then in the direction she was looking and nodded.

  
“I guess so.” He replied and they headed off.


	8. Serif

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JuJu belongs to NoteDoesArt on DeviantArt

Serif glanced up towards the chief as the older skeleton nodded. “I’m glad to hear you have accepted. Head to the guards’ room and have Alphys start your training.” Dream said. He saw his brother nod. “You may go now Onyx.”

“Yes Chief.” Onyx replied, then stood up and left the room. The white-eyed skeleton saw the chief turn towards him and motion for him to stand up, which he did.

“As for you, I have an important mission for you, a chance to redeem yourself for nearly failing to protect my children.” Serif tensed a little, knowing his leader had lost some trust in him.

“Anything you wish, Great Chief.” He said.

“The Shadow Fangs’ heir and apprentice healer will arrive later this morning. I’ve sent JuJu out to meet up with them at the edge of the grassland and escort them here along with Captain Edge to protect them. I want you to go to the western post to meet up with them and escort them back here. After that, you will be the heir’s personal guard. You are to protect them and stay by his side no matter where they go. You will also make sure that their needs are met. It is vital that they stay safe until the wedding is over. Do I make myself clear?” The younger skeleton gulped nervously, knowing this was a huge task, but it was also a chance to redeem himself and prove that he could do his job. Serif bowed, placing his hand over where his soul was.

“As clear as the desert night sky is full of stars. I swear by my soul that I will not let you down.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Your family has been of great loyal service to us for many years, and I am reluctant to lose that. You may leave now.” Dream told him.

“Yes Great Chief.” Serif replied, then stood up and left, heading to the guards’ room to gather some things before he headed out. As he headed to the room he saw the princesses and bowed to them. “Good morning Princess Uni and Princess Aina.” The male skeleton said, staying low.

"Good morning Serif." Uni replied as they looked at him.

“I hope your morning has been well.” He told them.

"It has." They replied, though they sounded a bit off. Serif noticed and glanced up at them.

“I’m glad to hear that. Pardon me, though. I must be on my way. I have been tasked with escorting the Shadow Fangs’ heir to the temple once they arrive at the village.” Uni nodded.

  
“Alright, good luck.”

“Thank you, Princess.” He said and saw Aina grab her sibling’s hand and give it a small squeeze. “...I hope to see you later.” Serif added, then stood up and continued on his way, but paused for a moment and looked back at them. “My brother has accepted his new position. I thank you and your family for being kind to us.” The male skeleton told them, then continued on without stopping this time.

When he reached the guards’ room, he went to his rack where his equipment was, putting on his wrist and shin guards, then his sheathed scimitar before his head piece to protect his eyes from the sun. Since he was a skeleton monster, he didn’t have to worry about being burned from the sunlight when being out too long, but he put his robe on just to be safe. As he tied it closed, he glanced towards the commander’s room where he knew Onyx would be getting questioned about his health and strength, so Alphys could figure out how he should be trained. Serif stood there for a bit longer before heading back out, not wanting to be late to meet the jungle tribe members.

Serif stood by the gate in the shade of the wall, keeping his eye on the western horizon for any sign of the entourage. He stretched a little and sighed, then took a small drink of his water skin to keep himself refreshed. The male skeleton glanced at the two guards that were stationed at the gate. One of the guards glanced back at him, but didn’t say anything and turned away. He watched them for a few moments before turning back and saw figures approaching. Serif placed his hand on the handle of his sword before checking the sun’s position and faced forward again.

As they approached, he recognized the figure in front as Captain Edge and relaxed a little before turning to the guards. “Captain Edge is approaching. Prepare to open the gates.”  The guards nodded in acknowledgment, waiting for their sign to open the gates. Serif turned back around as the group came up, riding on the camels that had been taken to make the passage easier for the jungle heir. He saluted to the captain as the older and taller skeleton got off and walked up to him. “Pleased by your return, Captain. Am I correct to assume the trip went well?” Edge let out a small growl and glanced back at the two other skeletons that were still on the camels.

“Could have been better.” He said, then went over to the gate, ordering the two guards to open the gate while Serif went over to one of the skeletons that had blue markings on their bones.

“Allow me to assist you down?” Serif asked.

“I’ve got it.” He replied and jumped down onto the sand, stretching a little. “Finally, I thought that trip would never end...” He muttered. Serif looked him up and down, then noticed the necklace around his neck bored a blackened fang and bowed to him.

“Welcome to Estaria, heir of the Shadow Fangs."  The shorter skeleton looked a bit caught off guard for a second, before gathering himself.

  
“Thank you.” Serif nodded as he stood up, then saw the other skeleton slide off her camel.

“Poison frog spit, my legs are sore from that riding.” She said.   
  
“You okay there sis?” The older skeleton asked as he turned to her.

“Yeah. Just sore.” The female skeleton replied. He nodded and looked around.

  
“The sand never seems to end…”

“The lands are always changing, so it’s different every day.” Serif said. “Anyway, my name is Serif. I am to be your personal guard during your stay here and see that your needs are taken care of. Allow me to escort you to the temple so you may rest. I am sure you are tired after your journey.”

“You have no idea.” He replied, sounding tired. The taller skeleton nodded and grabbed the camel’s harness before heading over to the gate. Edge trailed behind the group as they headed towards the northern side of the village, passing through the market area.

Some of the citizens watched the group pass through. Serif glanced at some of them, making sure no one tried to get too close.

The group soon made it to the temple, Juju left the group to inform Dream of their arrival. “Follow me to the central chamber so you may meet our chief and his children.” Serif said and had some of the servants take the camels back to the stables.

The two siblings nodded and followed him inside the temple. As they walked, many of the servants bowed to them. Serif just gave a small wave to them, then stopped once they reached the doors and opened them, then gestured for the two to head in. He followed them as they headed in and bowed when he saw Dream.

The siblings bowed as well. “Welcome to Estaria.” He said as he stood up and walked up to them.

  
“Thank you, chief Dream.”

“Allow me to introduce my children.” The older skeleton turned as the princesses entered the room from the side. My youngest, Aina, and my eldest and heir, Princess Uni, your future mate.”


	9. Uni

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Uni said as they bowed to their guests, who bowed back.

"It's good to meet you too, princesses." The male skeleton replied before standing up straight again. "My name is Hex, and this is my sister Electra." He said, gesturing at the female skeleton next to him.

"I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us in Estaria."Uni added as they took a better look at the two.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay in the temple. We are very honored.” Electra said. Aina looked at the two for a moment before turning to Uni.

“I like her. Can she be your mate instead?”   
  
“Aina, manners.” Dream scolded. She let out a small huff. Electra gave a small smile.

“While it would be a privilege to be married to the princess, I’m afraid that is not possible. I was adopted into the chief’s family, so I have no blood relation to them. Thus I cannot be married off to ensure alliances.” Uni nodded, then looked at her sister and leaned over.

  
“You could marry her if you like her so much.” The younger sister gave a full on glare.

“You know very well that I intend to finish my apprenticeship and serve the family before even thinking about that stuff.” She said. They chuckled a little.

  
“I know, it’s just a suggestion.” Aina let out another huff. Electra seemed to have an amused smile on her face.

“Perhaps we could still learn from each other, especially since it is unclear how long my brother and I will be staying.” The yellow-eyed female skeleton replied.

“That sounds like a good idea. What do you think?” Uni asked as they looked at their sister, smiling a little. The younger princess hummed a bit.

“Sounds reasonable.” They nodded, then glanced to their mother as he cleared his throat to get their attention.

  
“Anyway, I’m sure you two want to go and rest after the journey. Serif?” He called and looked over at the door.

“Yes Great Chief?” The white-eyed skeleton said as he stood at attention.   
  
“Show our guests to their room. We’ll talk more later at dinner.” He told him.

“As you wish.” He replied and bowed, then turned to Hex and Electra. “If you would please follow me.” Serif said, bowing a little, then headed to the door. The two siblings bowed to Dream and the princesses again before following Serif out of the room. Uni relaxed slightly when the door closed and sighed.

  
“That was...alright.”

“Hex seemed to be okay. He didn’t have any nasty looks in his eyes at least.” Aina said. “A little short though.”   
  
“Oh? Do you admit that jungle folk aren’t as savage as you thought?” Uni asked her. She looked up at them with a dead-pan expression.

“I admit nothing. Besides, this is only the first meeting. Things may change as time goes on.” The younger princess said. “Remember when Prince Runstin came to try and woo you? He was nice to your face, but he was nasty towards me. I’m aware not everyone is like that, but I also know there are people who want to marry into the family just for the power we hold over others. I will only accept any future mate of yours as long as they love you for who you are, and not what you are.” Aina added. The older skeleton awed a little and hugged her.

  
“You do care under all that sass and attitude.” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Only cause you're my sibling.”   
  
“If you two are done gossiping, you still have lessons to go to.” Dream told them. Aina turned to him and nodded.

“Yes Mother.” He smiled and nodded, pulling the two into a hug.

  
“Good, now off you go~”

Uni chuckled a little and nodded once he let go of them and headed out with Aina. They looked up as they walked past the training grounds, hearing Alphys shouting out orders so loudly it could probably be heard into town.

“GET YOUR DAMN ASS UP AND KEEP IT MOVING! YOU DIDN’T SIGN UP TO BE LAYING AROUND!” They moved over to the railing to look down at the courtyard, seeing Alphys in the center shouting at..

  
“Oh, Onyx already started with the training.” Uni muttered once they recognized the skeleton. He was attempting to move large bags from one end of the courtyard to the other, but he wasn’t moving very quickly. They watched, wondering if offering a guard position to him had been a good idea… “Hopefully she doesn’t go too hard on him.” Uni said before turning back to their sister, who had stopped to wait for them. She looked over at the two.

“Well Commander Alphys isn’t known for going easy on her soldiers.”   
  
“True..” They looked back over at Onyx.

“YOU CALL THAT RUNNING?! I’VE SEEN CACTI MOVE FASTER THAN THAT!”   
  
“I’ll never understand how she finds that motivational…” Uni said.

“You could always ask the more senior members of the guard.” The younger princess suggested as she started walking again.

  
“Perhaps.” They replied and followed her, looking down at Aina. “So, do you promise to behave at dinner tonight?”

“I make no such promise.” The older skeleton sighed.

  
“At least try not to embarrass me in front of my future mate, please?”

“That’s Mother’s job, not mine.” She said with a small smirk. Uni groaned.

  
“Stars...for once i’m glad father isn’t home, that would make it even worse.” Aina fell silent for a few moments.

“...I hope he returns soon.” They nodded in agreement.

  
“It’s been almost a full five months, so he should be coming back soon. He better be, or else he’ll miss my wedding.” The younger princess looked at them.

“I thought you still weren’t fully set on the idea of it.”   
  
“I might not like it, but it’s for the best. You saw the situation when we visited Onyx’s home, we need this alliance.” They said, sounding serious.

“I’m aware…” She muttered, then let out a small sigh. “I just wish there was a way to still ally with them without this marriage nonsense. Mother got to choose who became his mate, so why can’t you do the same?” The older skeleton fell quiet at her words,unsure how to respond. “...let’s just get to our lessons before we’re late and scolded again.” Aina said. Uni nodded in agreement, staying silent rest of the way.   
  
  
  
  
Uni hummed softly to themself as they walked out of their bathroom and into the bedroom, drying off from the bath they’d just taken. They sat down on the bed, noticing one of the servants had come in with their outfit for the dinner. The outfit was a blue silk robe with gold and silver thread embroidery flowers and stars along the edges, with a pale blue sash for the waist and their usual head piece, which was a light blue headscarf with two silver chain loops connected at an eight-point jeweled star. The blue eyed skeleton glanced up when there was a knock at the door. “Who is it?”

“Onyx, Princess Uni. I’ve been given the honor of being tasked as your escort this evening to dinner.” They smiled a bit, relieved he was still there and not with the healer like some of the new guards after Alphys’ treatment.

  
“I’ll be ready in a moment.”

“As you wish, Princess.” They got up and quickly got dressed, making sure everything was in place before spraying on a bit of perfume. Once sure they were done, Uni stepped out of the room and turned to look at Onyx, who was wearing his guard uniform of a linen skirt tied at the waist and the star-shaped collar along with his armband with the royal family insignia. They could see a faint blush appear on his cheeks when he saw them, but he quickly composed himself and bowed. “You are radiant as usual.” The blue eyed skeleton blushed a little at the comment.

  
“Thank you Onyx.” He nodded and stood up.

“Let us be on our way then.” They nodded, starting to walk in the direction of the dining room. As they walked, Uni glanced up at Onyx as they spoke up. “So, how has your first day been?” He looked like he wanted to respond, but kept his mouth shut. “I figured. Alphys can be quite harsh.” The yellow-eyed skeleton just nodded. “She didn’t cut your tongue off did she? We told her not to do that again.” His eyes went wide as he looked at them in shock.

“What?! She’s done that? I-I thought that was just something the older guards would say to scare the new ones.” Uni chuckled a little.

“Oh it is, I just wanted to be sure.”they said in a joking tone. He blinked a bit in confusion. ”Don’t worry, Alphys wouldn’t hurt her own guards.” They told him. Onyx just gave a small nod and looked forward. “I hope it’s not too much. The training can be very harsh, especially now.”

“The training is fine. Plus I’m used to hard work out in the sun from my servant days anyway.” Uni nodded, looking forward again.

  
“In that case, i wish you luck.” They could see Onyx look towards them again.

“...thank you.” He said. They smiled a little, then looked up when they reached the dining room door.

  
“Thank you for the escort, Onyx.” The yellow-eyed skeleton bowed.

“It was an honor, Princess. I’ll be out here to escort you back after.”   
  
“Alright, i’ll see you then.” they said before walking into the room.


	10. Hex

“I gotta give it to them, this is the most comfortable bed ever~” Hex said, sounding almost blissful as he laid on the bed in the room Serif had led them to.

“Well our beds are made of leaves, branches, and animal skins. These seem to be made from cloth and soft fluff.” Electra told him. Hex held up a hand and shushed her.

  
“No logic now, only rest and relaxation.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head a little.

“Brother, we still need to talk about your plan on how you’re going to woo Princess Uni.” The older skeleton glanced over at her.

“What? You mean they didn’t already fall head over heels for me?” The female skeleton snorted loudly at that.

“You wish.” He chuckled a little and sat up.

  
“Honestly? I have no idea. Then again, is it really necessary? Doubt either of us has a lot of options.”

“It would be best to at least get to know them better, as to avoid major conflicts in your relationship together. Remember the story of the old leaders of the Poison Vine clan? They hated each other so much that the clan went to war with itself. I doubt Father and Chief Dream would appreciate that happening to their clans after you two take over.”   
  
“...Fair point. I guess we should at least get along. Fortunately, I’m much better at making friends than wooing people.” Electra nodded.

“At least this way, even if you two don’t end up being in love with each other, you can still tolerate one another enough to work together.”   
  
“Exactly.” Hex replied, glancing out a nearby window and towards the village. “This place is pretty interesting, very different from back home.” She nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. I noticed that there’s a huge lack of plants, even from the fields I saw when we were coming in. I’m guessing a lot of their wares and food are more animal based than plant based like our stuff is.”   
  
“Guess that’s what happens when you live in a literal wasteland.” Hex said, getting up and going to the window to get a better look outside. He could see servants going around, taking items to and from different places, and guards patrolling around with spears and sheathed swords at their hips. He frowned a bit, seeing just how many guards there were. “They sure don’t want any uninvited guests in here.” Electra looked over, then got up and joined him at the window as she peered outside as well.

“Probably to prevent assassins from coming after us.” Hex paused, then looked at her.

  
“Seriously?” The younger skeleton looked back.

“Not completely sure, but it never hurts to be extra cautious. Especially with something as big as an alliance marriage happening.” She replied. The older skeleton nodded.

  
“So, whatcha think so far? About our hosts.”

“Princess Aina definitely doesn’t seem to hold her tongue for any reason, similar to Father. Respects her mother enough to listen to him. Princess Uni...definitely cares about their sister. Other than that, they didn’t really make much of an impression on me.” He nodded in agreement.

  
“Guess i’ll just have to uncover their little mystery.” Electra rolled her eyes a bit.

“You can do that at dinner. We should rest while we can during the sun's high time to avoid the worst of the heat.” She said.

  
“Now you’re talking sense.”Hex replied, flopping back down onto the bed.

“Of course I am, beetle brain. I’m the logical sibling, remember? I keep you and Coda out of trouble.”   
  
“That’s why you’re so tense all the time, we won’t give you a break.”

“Well now that you have your own personal guard, maybe I’ll finally get that break and can focus on learning more about the culture here, as well as see if I can take a temporary apprenticeship alongside Princess Aina.” She said.   
  
“So you’re gonna spend your one chance at a vacation on more work? You can’t relax can you?” Hex asked as he rolled onto his stomach to look at her. The yellow-eyed skeleton sat on her bed and took off her sandals, waving one at him.

“You and I have different definitions of relaxation. I happen to find learning new things enjoyable, while you prefer to run around and cause chaos enjoyable.” Electra told him. He held his arms up.

  
“You caught me there.” She smiled and put her sandals by the bed and pulled her legs up.

“Get some rest, beetle brain.”   
  
“Okay mom.” He said before settling down for a nap. Hex heard her chuckle before settling down as well.   
  
  
‘This is so awkward….’Hex thought to himself, trying to keep still and not squirm away while a servant helped him get dressed. Another servant was helping Electra on the other side of the room, which was separated by a screen of foldable panels made of river cane stalks and thick papyrus strips. He relaxed slightly when the servant pulled back, having finished from the looks of it. Once the one helping Electra had finished as well, the two left the room. “Stars, my dignity has been wounded beyond repair.” She pushed the screen closed before looking over at him.

“Could have been worse. At least we’re not wearing just loincloths.” He shrugged before looking into the mirror.

  
“Hmm...Not what I would have chosen, but it’ll do.” Electra nodded. Both of them wore linen robes, dyed blue and yellow respectively, with some simple collars and wristbands to go with them.

“Shall we head to dinner? Cause honestly, I’m rather hungry.”   
  
“Sounds good to me.” The older skeleton replied as they left the room, seeing Serf was waiting in the hallway for them.

“Are you ready to head to dinner?” He asked, wearing the same outfit he’d had on when they first arrived.

“Ready.” Hex replied. The taller skeleton nodded, then turned and started walking. The two siblings followed, looking around a bit as they walked through the large temple. They passed more guards and some servants, who gave small bows before continuing with their work.

“So, uh...how are you adjusting to being in the desert so far?” Serif asked. Hex looked at him.

  
“It’s definitely different, much more exposed and open than back home.” The guard nodded.

“That’s why in the market place there are lots of overhangs and covered stands, to protect the wares and people from direct exposure to the sun.” The shorter skeleton nodded, then looked up when they reached a large door. Another skeleton stood by the door, looking similar to Serif, but with yellow eyes that shone bright like the sun. He saw the three approach and respectfully bowed while Serif nodded in acknowledgement. The taller skeleton then turned and bowed to the siblings. “This is where we must part. I hope you have an enjoyable dinner.” He said, then opened the door for them.

  
“Thank you.” Hex said before the two walked in, the door closing behind them. Dream and the princesses were already inside, as well as one other skeleton they hadn’t met earlier.

“Thank you for joining us.” Dream said when he saw them, then gestured towards the new skeleton. “This is my brother, Lord Nightmare. He’s Aina’s mentor in healing, magics, and temple caring.” The dark-eyed skeleton stood and bowed to them.

“It’s an honor to meet members of the Shadow Fangs’ chief family.” He said, his voice a much deeper tone than Dream’s. Hex couldn’t help a small shudder that ran through his spine when the older skeleton spoke, finding him...unsettling for whatever reason.

  
“...It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He replied, managing not to show his unease. Electra gave a respectful bow, seemingly at ease.

“And an honor. Your work has even reached the tribes of the jungle for your amazing feats of magic, Lord Nightmare.” She added. Nightmare blinked, then gave a small smile and nodded.

“I’m glad to hear. I’m sure we can learn much from each other during your stay.” He said, then sat back down.

“Please, sit. I had the chefs prepare some local dishes as well as serve some of the food you brought for our village.” Dream told the siblings. They thanked him before taking their seats at the table on Dream’s right side, while his children sat right across from them. Nightmare sat opposite of Dream at the other end of the table. Servants came in with various dishes and cups of herbal teas.

  
“So, what is it like in the jungle?” Uni asked, taking a sip from their cup of tea.

  
“Much cooler and humid, a lot louder too.” Hex replied, having noticed how quiet it had gotten as the sun went down. Electra nodded in agreement.

“Day or night, the jungle is always alive with animals, so people of jungle tribes always have to be cautious when venturing outside of their villages. Especially at night. Though most of our tribe is known for having excellent night sight.” She added. Uni nodded, seeming curious now.

  
“I’ve heard the jungle is full of all kinds of predators, some even venture out here at times.”

“It is. But all members of any jungle tribe are trained to protect themselves from them, or how to hide if they are vulnerable. Any children are under constant watch all the time to reduce the chance of them being snatched away. Food caches are also kept under surveillance.” The yellow-eyed female skeleton said.

  
“Most of the animals usually leave us alone though, unless they move in packs and actually have a chance.” Hex added, then looked at Uni. “What about here? We barely saw anything aside from a few birds while coming here.”   
  
“Most animals that live here are quite small, aside from the livestock and Baku.” They replied. Electra gave a confused look. “Oh, he’s a sheepaca, one of the few that we have here.” Uni explained when they saw the look.

“Don’t sheepacas usually live in mountainous areas?” The blue eyed skeleton nodded.

  
“Yes, but a small pack of them was brought here some years ago, they’ve mostly adapted to living here.” She nodded.

“Interesting.” For the rest of the dinner, they had small conversations about their respective tribes and homes. When dinner was over and the dishes were being taken away, Dream turned towards his children. “I’ve requested that your lessons be on hold for the next week, to allow you time to get to know our guests better and spend time with them.” He said.

  
“Understood.” Uni replied before looking at Hex and Electra. “Perhaps we can show you around the village tomorrow?” They suggested.

“As long as you take guards with you. Including Captain Edge.” The eldest skeleton said as he looked at them. They looked at him and nodded.

“Of course.” He nodded.

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I shall retire to my chambers for the night.” Dream said as he stood up. “Goodnight my darlings. Brother, do not stay up too late. And honored guests, I hope you have an enjoyable rest of your evening.” He added, bowing a little to Hex and his sister before leaving the room. Nightmare let out a quiet grumble as he finished his cup of tea. He set his cup down, then looked at Electra.

“I have lessons with Aina in the early mornings and the late evenings if you are interested in joining us for them.” The dark-eyed skeleton said. She nodded as he stood up. “Princesses, may the gods bless you with good rest tonight.” He added, then left as well.   
  
“Goodnight Uncle.” Uni replied as he left, then stood up as well and bowed. “We shall see you in the morning, have a goodnight.” They said before leaving with Aina, meeting with the other guard who was at the door before leaving. Electra turned to her brother.

“Well, that was a decent dinner.” She said.

  
“Thank the stars for that...that Nightmare guy was creepy though.” He muttered.

“Now you know how I feel around Horror.” The younger skeleton told him as she stood up, smirking a bit.

  
“He’s such a nice guy though. What kind of a creep makes cute little desserts?” Hex asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The way he stares at me. Plus, Lord Nightmare has a more quiet and gentle air about him. Horror is unreadable to me.” Electra replied.   
  
“That’s cause you haven’t made the effort to get to know him.” Hex said as they walked over to Serif.

“I do try, but he thinks it’s funny to try and pretend to chop my hand off whenever I’m tasked with retrieving food from the cave.”   
  
“It is kind of funny.” She huffed and turned away from him. Serif looked like he was pretending he hadn’t heard their conversation.

“Ready to return to your room?” He asked, bowing.   
  
“Nah, we figured it’d be nice to just stand here.” Hex replied.

“If that is what you wish.” The smaller skeleton paused, a bit surprised by his answer.

  
“...Fine, getting to bed would be nice.” Serif nodded and started heading back to the guest room. “...Are you really that beetle brained or are you messing with me?” Hex asked him after a moment. The taller skeleton glanced down at him.

“My job is to make sure your needs are met, so if that means standing around for a while, then that’s what I’ll do.” He replied.   
  
“Huh, guess we finally found your match Ella.” He said, looking at Electra. She just rolled her eyes. Serif just let out a small sigh and faced forward again, though he seemed a little tense.   
  
“See? He even has the same kind of stance as you.”

“I am not always tensed up. That’s only during special events or when in the same room as other chiefs and their families.” The white-eyed skeleton turned and faced them.

“Look, I’m just trying not to lose my job because I wasn’t on alert or obey orders. I’ve already made a huge mess once, and I don’t want it to happen again.” He told them.   
  
“Oh, must have been bad if you’re this serious about it.”Hex said as he looked at him. Serif hesitated for a moment, then turned back around.

“Let us please continue.” Was all he said.   
  
“...Alright.”Hex said, noticing the sudden tone shift. The three headed back to the chambers for the night.


	11. Onyx

After escorting the princesses back to their chambers and bidding them goodnight, Onyx headed back to the guards’ room to take off his uniform. He entered the room and went over to where his chest was to change. The room was mostly empty, as most guards were either on night duty or at home by now. He put the stuff away, then stretched a little and sighed, standing there and thinking. His thoughts drifted a little towards the eldest princess. The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he quickly looked over, seeing a couple female servants come in.  
The two noticed him as well and blushed as they looked at each other, giggling a little. “Hi there handsome~” One said, waving to him. Onyx moved back, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

“Hey. Um...I’ll get going so I’m not in your way.” He said and started to move around them.

  
“Aww, you don’t have to leave yet. We don’t mind.” Another said, turning to him. The male skeleton grew a bit more nervous. While he knew some of the guards liked to show off to impress the women that worked on the temple grounds, he wasn’t like that and none of the servant women had ever shown interest in him before.

“I really should get going.” Onyx insisted as he continued to try and get around them. They pouted and moved a bit to let him through.

  
“If you insist...”

“Thank you.” He said and quickly left, figuring he should go find his brother and take him straight home to spare him from those women. Onyx headed towards the hall where the guest rooms were located. He almost happened to walk into the older skeleton, having moved in such a hurry. The younger skeleton managed to stop in time as he skidded to a halt. “S-sorry.” Onyx said, quickly stepping back.

  
“It’s fine, where are you going in such a hurry?” Serif asked as he looked at him.

“Looking for you.” He replied. “You should just head straight home. There, um….there are two female servants in the guards’ room. Figured you’d want to be spared.” The older skeleton nodded.

  
“Thanks, some of them can be very…”

“Pushy?” Onyx suggested.  
  
“Exactly.” He smiled a bit and nodded, then jumped a bit when another voice spoke up.   
  
“Aww, are you two popular with the ladies?” A short male skeleton asked, grinning a little as he watched them. Onyx looked over at him, recognizing him as one of the skeletons his brother escorted to dinner earlier.

“Um...no? And that’s not really any of your concern?” He said. The shorter skeleton huffed.

  
“Well you’re the one talking loudly in the middle of the hallway.”

“Not really? We’re talking at a normal tone.” He rolled his eyes.

  
“Rude.” Onyx gave his brother a look that said ‘what’s this guy’s problem?’.

“Anyway, just thought I’d let you know. See you back home.” Serif nodded.

  
“Alright, I’ll see you there.” The yellow-eyed skeleton nodded, then headed out. He looked up at the sky as he went through the main gates of the temple, relaxing a bit in the cooler night air.

  
“Onyx! Wait up kid!” He blinked and turned around, seeing his dad.

“Oh, hey Dad.”

  
  
“Hey, so how’d your first day go?” The older skeleton asked.

“It was okay, I guess. Alphys trained me during the morning, then during the sun’s height, she had me patrol around inside. And in the evening, she had me escort the princesses to and from dinner.” Onyx replied. Fell nodded.

“You’re still walking straight, so that’s good.”

“Yeah, but I’ll probably fall right asleep the moment I stop standing.” He added, chuckling a bit.

  
  
“I wouldn’t blame you.” The red eyed skeleton replied and patted his head. Onyx smiled.

“Shall we head home then?”  
  
“Obviously.” He replied and led the way. Onyx nodded and followed after the older skeleton. When they reached the house, they were both tackled by the girls.   
  
“Welcome home.” Sarah said, smiling as she looked up at them.

“Hey Sarah.” The yellow-eyed skeleton replied, patting her head.

  
“How did it go? Did you beat up any bad guys?” She asked. He snorted and chuckled a little.

“Nah. The only thing that got beat up is my body from all the training and patrolling I did.”  
She pouted.

“Aww, okay.” Onyx smiled a bit, then looked over at his mom.  
  
“Looks like you had a rough day.” The blue eyed skeleton said as he walked over.

“Yeah. The commander really worked me hard on the training stuff.” Swap nodded.

  
“Then you better eat and get to bed, you’ll need it.” Serif nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Cause you’ll conk out faster than you can say sand once you get to bed.” He added. The yellow-eyed skeleton nodded.

“Got it.”

“Go ahead and take a seat then.” Swap said and pointed at the table where the food was already set. Onyx went over and sat down at the table. The girls sat down on either side of him, waiting while the other three sat down as well before starting to fill their plates.

“Chief Dream has tasked me with being Prince Hex’s personal guard during his stay, as my chance to redeem myself.” Serif said. Fell looked at him.

  
“Be careful, don’t know if the assassin that was caught will be the only one…”

“I will.” He replied.

“Good.” The older skeleton said. The six of them started eating and Onyx tried to relax.

Dinner went by peacefully, as did the night. When morning arrived, Onyx woke up sore and in pain. Fell peeked into his room, a knowing look on his face. “Yeah, it might take a while to get used to.”

“So much pain…” He groaned.

  
“I’ll see if your mom has anything to help with that.” The red eyed skeleton said before leaving the room. Onyx glanced over as his brother got up.

“Well, newbies to get it rough. Though I think you got off easy.” He said.

“Easy? How, in what way, was my training “easy”?” Onyx asked as he looked over at him.

“You got guard duty after patrol instead of more training.” Serif replied.

“...mrr...I suppose so…” He muttered, letting out a sigh, then looked up when his dad returned.

“Your mom’s preparing some herbs for you, we don’t have much right now.” Fell told him.

“Just a little will do.” The younger skeleton replied.  
  
“Alright, be careful today though.” The red eyed skeleton told him.

“I will.” Onyx said. The older skeleton nodded.

  
“Good.” he said before leaving the room. The yellow-eyed skeleton looked up as his brother came over and helped him up.

“Doing some light stretches tends to help with the stiffness.” Onyx nodded.

“I’ll try that.”

“Do you need help getting to the kitchen?” Serif asked. He thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll probably fall over if left alone.” The older skeleton chuckled and helped him walk out of their room and to the kitchen where their parents were. Onyx thanked him once he was sitting down and let out a sigh, then grunted as his sisters hugged him.  
  
“Morning Onyx.” Sarah said, smiling up at him.

“Mmng. Morning.” He groaned.  
  
“Are you okay?” She asked, pulling back.

“Yeah, just sore still.” The older sibling responded.

“Then it’s a good thing Mom finished the salve.” Sasha said. The younger twin nodded in agreement and looked at their mom, who brought the salve over to Onyx. He looked up at him.

“Thanks a lot, Mom.”  
  
“You’re welcome.” The blue eyed skeleton replied, smiling. Onyx smiled back a little and leaned forward so he could put the salve on his bones. The family sat down to eat breakfast once he finished. “Tastes good.” Sasha said.

  
“Thank you sweetie.” Swap replied, then looked up when they heard the faint sound of a bell. Onyx looked over as well and watched as his brother got up and went over to the door. Serif opened the door to make sure he was hearing right, then looked at his brother and dad once he heard the bell more clearly.

  
“They’re summoning all the guards, something must have happened.” Their eyes widened and quickly got up, the three of them hurrying up to the temple as quickly as possible. Most of the guards were there, Alphys was up at the front speaking with Dream and Nightmare.

“-don't understand. I made sure all the lock spells were in place and that the enchantments had been refreshed.” Nightmare said.  
  
“So you have no idea who or how it could have been stolen?” Alphys asked.

“Only another person with knowledge of magic could have broken through my spells.” He replied.

“Maybe it was one of the jungle people?” One of the guards suggested. “Don’t they have like weird voodoo magic or something?” Onyx could see Nightmare trying not to roll his eyes.

“Even if one of them did know voodoo magic, it is not the right kind of magic to be able to counter mine. Whoever got in knew what they were going after. Nothing else has been touched.”  
  
“What exactly was stolen?” Another guard asked. The dark-eyed skeleton looked at them.

“A relic belonging to the god of mirages, Viris’s Mask of Concealment.”


	12. Uni

Uni and Aina watched from one of the temple’s balconies as their mother and uncle informed the guards on what had happened that night. “How could someone have sneaked inside, not to mention gotten into uncle’s study?” Uni muttered in a worried tone.

“I don’t know...even I don’t know how to undo some of his spells and enchantments yet.” Aina said. They frowned a little and watched as the guards were told to get to their stations, though more were set to guard the temple and especially the study than usual. Dream and Nightmare spoke to Alphys for a moment longer before the three went back inside.

“What’s going on?” The two siblings looked up and saw Electra and Hex walk over, looking a bit confused at the commotion.

“Someone broke in last night and stole an artifact from Uncle Nightmare’s study.” Uni told them. Electra’s eyes widened.

“Oh stars. Which one was it?” She asked.

“The Mask of Concealment, from the God Viris.” Aina replied.

“The one that can make whomever wears it look like someone else?” The younger skeleton nodded.

“The very same.”

“One of the worst possible artifacts to fall into wrong hands, the thief could look like anyone.” Uni added. Aina’s eyes widened, as though realizing something as she looked up at her sibling and Hex.

“That means whoever sent the assassin could use it to try and take out one of you.”

“Well, that sure is a nice thought.” Hex muttered.

“Sorry.” She said.

“You do have a point though. I bet mother and uncle have realized the same by now.” Uni said as they looked at their sister. The younger sibling nodded, then looked up when they heard footsteps and saw their uncle.

“Your mother has called the four of you to the central room.” He said. They nodded and the group headed to said room, passing by multiple guards as they did so. Uni looked over at Dream once they stepped into the central room. Dream looked up when they walked in and relaxed a bit.

“I’m putting the four of you under extra guard watch. Uni and Hex, you’ll have two guards assigned to each of you. Aina and Electra, the same and you will be required to stay with my brother at all times. And your rooms will be changed as well to another part of the temple.”

“Understood...is there anyway to tell if someone is wearing the mask?” Uni asked as they looked at the older skeleton.

“I’m afraid not. It’s said that Viris used the mask to disguise themself as various mortals and creatures, producing the most wicked and cunning creatures and people in our history. They even used the mask to fool their own brother into thinking they were his lover. The only way he was able to figure it out was because of how they acted. Other than that, I don’t think there’s any physical evidence that can tell the person apart from the real one.” The younger skeleton frowned and nodded.

“Alright. I hope the thief gets caught soon…” Aina nodded in agreement. They turned back to Dream. “So, where are our guards right now?”

“I’m having Alphys pick them out. I told her to choose the most trusted and experienced ones.”

“I’m guessing we’ll wait for them before going anywhere?” Uni asked. He nodded.

“Alright.” They said, then looked at Aina. “Are you going to Uncle once your guards arrive?”

“Might as well. I still have lessons I need to learn from him. Especially now.” She replied. The older sibling nodded.

“I hope they don’t take too long...”

“Until they arrive, you will remain here in the central room.” Dream told them. They nodded and watched him go before turning to the other three. Electra looked a little worried. Hex looked at her.

“You okay Ella?”

“Well...just trying not to imagine Father’s face if anything were to happen to either of us.” He sighed.

“We’ll be fine, like I'd let some dung-eating, tunnel crawling boar of an oaf near my dear little sister.” She smiled a bit.

“Thanks.” He smiled back and patted her head. She pulled her head back and stood taller to make it harder for him to reach, then looked over when the door opened and Alphys walked in with some monsters behind her. They all turned to Alphys as she cleared her throat.

“Princesses, honored guests, I've selected your guards for you. They’ll be staying with you all day, wherever you go. Even the washroom.” She turned to said guards. “Introduce yourselves.” Two of them looked to be identical, with muscular looking bodies covered in green scales, mops of bright orange hair, ear fins, and tails with spikes along the top and tip. One looked a bit more muscular than the other and had some scars on his body while the other looked leaner and wore a pair of spectacles. The larger one grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

“Hey. Name’s Jarrett, future leader of the Guard and full of talent.”

“Talently stupid.” The other muttered, then bowed. “My name is Garrett. I’m not only a guard, but I’m also skilled in healing magic and knowledge.” One of the other guards, a skeleton carrying a large sword strapped to his back and a jagged scar on his cheek, rolled his eyes a bit before introducing himself.

“I am Cross. I’ve been part of the High Chief's personal guard for many years. And this is Erik, though he nicknamed himself Killer.” He said. The other skeleton just looked over and grinned.

“And the other two you may already know.” Alphys added, nodding to the last two guards. “Serif, who has already been assigned as Hex’s personal guard, and Onyx, one of our newest recruits.”

“Thank you Alphys, and thank you all of you.” Uni said as they looked at the guards. They nodded and bowed to them.

“My sons, Serif, and Onyx will be Uni and Hex’s guards. Cross and Killer will be with the girls.” Dream looked at her.

“Are you sure those four can be trusted? They are not as experienced as some of our older guards.” She looked back at him.

“Sir, I know my sons well. They are at the top of their class and take their jobs seriously, even if they don’t look like they do. As for Onyx, he definitely has the potential to be an excellent guard if given the chance. And Serif...” The reptile monster glanced at the taller skeleton. “He knows what’ll happen if he fails again.

“...very well then.” He said, leaning back in his seat. “You are all dismissed now.” Uni looked at their sister.

“Stay safe. I’ll see you at lunch.” She looked at them and nodded.

“You too.” They smiled a bit and nodded before they and Hex headed to the front entrance with their guards, where Captain Edge was waiting for them. The guards stayed close to the two and kept anyone who got too close to Uni and Hex away. Jarrett and Garrett wielded spears strapped to their backs in addition to their swords, while Onyx and Serif just carried the traditional curved swords of the guard. Uni showed Hex around the town, they as well as their guards answered some questions he had as well. After some time, the group took a break near a small temple, next to an altar that housed a few statues, as well as one of the few trees in the oasis, which shaded them from the sun. Onyx looked at one of the statues and bowed to it. Hex looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s bowing to that statue of the god Otinyx, God of War and strength.” Uni replied.

“You guys sure have a lot of gods and goddesses.” He said, looking back at them. Uni nodded and looked over at the statues.

“The nine here are just the most important and powerful ones, but there’s many smaller gods as well.”

“Nelena and Nutune, for example, are the twin gods of the rainy season. Nutune brings the clouds and Nelena gives us the rain.” Serif added, still standing guard from his position.

“Does your tribe not believe in any?” Uni asked as they looked at Hex, who shrugged.

“Well most of us come from all over and believe in all kinds of stuff, so everyone pretty much believes in whatever.” They nodded and looked at one of the statues.

“That one’s the goddess of marriage, Imarae. She’s supposed to bring good luck and health to those who are married under her eyes.”

“Yawn! Boring stuff.” Jarrett said, then looked over at Onyx. “Let’s go patrol the temple. I’ll even give you some fighting tips.” The green monster told him. He looked over and stood up, then nodded and followed him as they went around. Uni watched the two go before turning their attention back to Hex.

“What about wedding traditions? I believe I heard Mother mention you do premarital gifts as well?” The shorter skeleton nodded.

“Yeah, that’s one of them. We also paint symbols on the people getting married, though I can’t remember what exactly they’re supposed to mean. What about you?”

“We have the bonding ribbon. When a couple gets married, they wrap the ribbon around their intertwined hands to symbolize that they have now been bonded together in body and spirit. So when they leave to the afterlife, they’ll be together forever.” Uni explained.

"Forever huh, that's a….long time." Hex said. Uni nodded, lowering their head.

"Indeed...please take no offense to this, but...I'm really not sure about this arrangement..." The shorter skeleton nodded.

“To tell you the truth, I’m not really into this either. Honestly, I've always liked guys more anyway.” Hex replied.

“Oh? What kind of guys?” Uni asked, growing a bit curious. Hex hummed in thought, glancing around for a moment till his eyes landed on Serif who was standing a bit farther away from the two.

“Like that.” He said as he turned back to Uni, pointing at the guard. Uni chuckled when they noticed Serif blush, apparently having heard their conversation. He quietly muttered something that neither could hear. The two chuckled and Hex turned to Uni. “What about you?” Uni paused and looked down in thought.

“I’m...honestly not sure. There’s been a few people who’ve tried to court me, but a lot of them were...less than desirable.”

“Any examples?” Hex asked, growing curious.

“Well, the worst of them was very arrogant, rude, outright mean towards my sister and didn’t know basic manners. He didn’t stay very long, thankfully.”

"I remember him." Garrett said, pulling out a knife and examining it a bit. "Had to tear my brother away from the guy and pretty much stitch him back together."

“Our tribes are no longer on speaking terms.” Uni added. Hex nodded, then looked up when Onyx and Jarrett returned. Both of them had some fresh food.

"Got some cooked meat for the prince and baked cactus fruit for the princess." Jarrett said, handing the two some skewers with cooked pieces of food on them, one filled with the meat, the other with pieces of fruit.

“Thank you Jarrett.”Uni said as they took their's, starting to feel a bit hungry. He nodded and went back to guarding.

“Huh, didn’t know cacti could make fruit.”Hex said as he looked at said fruit.

“It’s really good, might take some time to get used to though.” Uni told him as they took a bite out of their’s. The shorter skeleton shrugged and started to eat as well.

“So, an ego and bad manners are a no go for you then?” He asked Uni, who nodded.

“They’re definitely not what I’d look for in a partner, especially one who’s supposed to help rule over my tribe.”

"What are you guys talking about?" Onyx asked.

"Old courters of the princess." Serif replied. "Particularly Prince Runstin." The younger skeleton seemed to tense slightly and looked away.

"Oh."

“I’m getting the feeling no one here liked that guy.” Hex said as he glanced at them. Jarrett growled.

"If I ever see that camel-spit, dung-licking beetle-eyed cretin again, I'll make sure he wished he wasn't his tribe's heir, prince or not." The monster snarled.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t talk about maiming a foreign tribe’s heir in public.” Uni told him. He grumbled, but nodded, pouting a little. Garrett just sighed. They rolled their eyes a bit, then glanced up towards the sky to see the time. “Seems we still have some time before lunch, is there anything you’d like to see?” They asked Hex, who thought for a moment.

“...You mentioned those animals last night, the...what were they called again?”

“The sheepacas?” Uni asked. The shorter skeleton nodded.

“Kind of interested to see what those look like.” Uni smiled and nodded, quickly getting up, looking a bit excited.

“Alright then, let’s go.” The guards got into formation around the two. The group headed back towards the main temple, passing through the edge of the marketplace close to the residential area. Jarrett looked up and grabbed his spear when they heard footsteps approaching the group. They turned towards the sound and saw a child coming towards them. The child was a young female human-lizard hybrid and she held a small flower carved from wood, holding it up towards the princess. Uni moved a bit closer and crouched down to look at the child.  
“For me?” She nodded.

"For good luck and for the rains to return." The girl said. They smiled and took the flower.

“Thank you.” She smiled and bowed to them before running off to where a female human and male lizard monster stood, also bowing to the princess. They waved to the family before the group kept going towards the stables by the side of the temple.

"Be prepared for the smell." Jarrett warned.

“How bad can it be?” Hex asked as he looked at him, then paused when the smell suddenly hit him. “...Okay, it’s pretty bad.” He nodded.

"You get used to it after a while." He nodded, then looked up when Uni ran over to one of the sheepacas, a light blue and white one. It’s fur almost seemed to glimmer.

“Hello Baku~” They cooed and pet the animal, which purred and leaned into the petting.

“Wow. Way bigger than I expected...” Hex commented as he watched the two. Baku glanced towards the group and huffed at them, before turning his attention back to Uni to munch on treats they were offering.

“It takes a bit for him to get used to people, but he’s really a big sweetheart.” Uni said as they looked at him.

“Well he’s certainly big, don’t know about the sweet part...” Hex said, noticing the animal seemed to be glaring at him.

"Fluff boy is just protective." Jarrett told him. Baku huffed at the hybrid, pawing at the ground as he did so.

“You can try and come closer, just don’t move too fast.” Uni said as they looked at Hex, who nodded and glanced at the sheepaca before stepping closer towards them. As he did so, Baku let out a harsh bark like sound and suddenly reared up.


	13. Serif

Serif ran forward and pushed Hex out of the way of Baku, grunting as he got hit in the chest by the sheepaca’s hooves and knocked to the ground. “Brother!” He heard Onyx shout. The younger skeleton quickly knelt next to him while Uni pulled Baku back from the group, scolding the animal as they did so. He groaned from the pain, having had the wind knocked out of his nonexistent lungs.

“Did he get injured?” Uni asked as they rushed back over, looking at the two guards.

"I'm fine, princess." He said. "Is the prince unharmed?"

“Just fine, not even a scratch.” Hex replied.

"Good." The taller skeleton said as he looked at him and gave a small smile. He blushed a bit at the smile and rolled his eyes, looking to the side. Serif looked up as Garrett walked over and used some healing magic on him.

"Thankfully just some minor cracks. They'll heal up in no time. Just need to take it easy." The hybrid said. The skeleton nodded.

“I’m really sorry Serif, I didn’t think he would do that…" Uni said as they looked at him.

"It's fine, princess. No one got seriously hurt." He said as Onyx slowly helped him up. They nodded and looked up when they noticed a servant walk over, bowing before speaking.

“Lunch has been prepared. Your mother and sister are waiting.” Uni nodded and looked back to Serif.

  
“Can you walk okay?”

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He replied, managing to stand up. "Besides, if anything happened to the prince and I wasn't there to stop it, your mom would have me hung by my pelvis."

They nodded and the group headed back inside the temple. Serif walked at the back with his brother, keeping an eye on the prince. The shorter skeleton noticed and glanced back at him. He looked back and their eyes met.

“...Thanks for that.”

"It's no problem. It's my job to protect you, after all." He nodded and looked up when they got to the dining room. Serif bowed to him when they reached the doors. "I'll see you after lunch."

“Alright, try not to get too bored.” Hex said and winked at him before they walked into the room. The taller skeleton blushed and quickly turned away. _Why in the stars' name is he flirting with me? I'm just a lowly guard. I'm not even of noble blood._ Serif thought.

“Hey, did you fall asleep standing up?” Jarrett asked and snapped his fingers in front of the skeleton’s face.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry Jarrett."

“You gotta at least try to look focused, might get in trouble otherwise.” He told him.

"Right." Serif said and stood up straight, shaking his head a bit and tried to clear his thoughts to focus, though he was still blushing slightly. They could faintly hear talking from the dining room, though it was mostly hard to make out what they were saying. A couple times, he caught himself glancing into the room towards the prince, but would quickly catch himself and turn back around. Their eyes met a couple times and he thought he saw the smaller skeleton chuckle to himself once, but wasn’t sure. He grumbled quietly to himself and let out a small sigh. Serif still had no idea why the prince was interested in him. The other three guards noticed his grumble, especially Onyx, but they didn’t comment on it.  After an hour or two, lunch was finished and the guards were called to follow the princess and prince.

"Oh. Before the four of you leave. I've made some adjustments to your sleeping quarters." Dream said. They turned to look at him.   
  


“Adjustments?” Uni asked. He nodded.

"Aina and Electra will be sharing her room, and you and Prince Hex have been moved to one of the bigger guest rooms." He replied.

“...Together?” they asked, blushing a little. The older skeleton gave another nod.

"For better security, and for the two of you to get used to sleeping together." He added.

“Alright...” Uni replied, though they sounded unsure of the idea. Aina didn't look too pleased with this idea, either. The older skeleton noticed and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine Aina.” She said nothing, keeping her mouth shut. “I’ll see you later.” They told her as they went in opposite directions. Serif wished he could say something to comfort the eldest princess, but his sole focus was to protect the prince. He glanced down at the shorter skeleton.  He didn’t seem too thrilled either, but didn’t say anything and followed the princess.

"So...is there anywhere the two of you want to go?" The taller skeleton asked.

“Not at the moment...what do you think?” Uni asked as they looked at Hex.

“Honestly, I think I’ll pass out from the heat if I even step out into the sun.” he replied.

"You could go to the baths to cool off." Jarrett suggested.

“That usually helps us when we get too hot. So how about we meet back in the new room later? I still have something to sort out with a certain sheepaca after all...” Uni said, sounding more serious.

“Sounds good to me.” Hex replied. The four guards nodded and the group split up, with Jarrett going with Serif and Hex, while Garrett went with Onyx and Uni. Hex looked at the two guards while the other three left. “So, lead the way?” They nodded and led him to the pools.

“Wow, at least won’t have to worry about leeches here.” Hex said as he looked at the pools, which were completely lined with solid sandstone and decorative tiles. He crouched down by one and put a hand in, relaxing a little at the crystal clear, cool, water. He got back up and glanced around the room, spotting a few tables against a wall and started undressing, throwing his clothes onto one of the tables. Serif blushed and politely turned away. He heard the smaller skeleton step into the pool and sigh contently. “Much better.”

"Is the water to your liking?" He asked, still turned around.

“It’s great, wanna try it?”

"I'm afraid I must refuse. The pools are for the royal family and their guests only." Serif replied.

“Aww come on, I won’t tell anyone~” He said, looking over at the taller skeleton. Serif glanced back for a moment. Hex looked back at him, leaning against the edge of the pool. The taller skeleton glanced back at Jarrett.

"My lips are sealed." The hybrid said, winking.

"Well...I guess a short dip won't hurt." Serif replied, looking back at the prince. The shorter skeleton smiled and swam back to the other side of the pool, then glanced at Jarrett.   
  


“What about you?”

"As much as I'd like to, one of us should probably stay on guard and make sure no one tries to drown ya." Jarrett told him.

“I mean, that would probably be the worst way to try to kill me.” Hex said.

"How come?" Serif asked as he started to take off his wrist guards and collar.

“Ever tried seeing how long you can hold your breath for? My siblings think I must be part fish for how long I can stay underwater. One of the many perks of not having lungs.”

"Well, in case you didn't see already, there's a difficult drought going on. So there's barely enough water to drink, let alone swim in for most people." Serif replied as he slipped his sandals off and set them off to the side before going to the edge of the pool. "Which is why we need this alliance with your tribe."

“Ah right, sorry...sooo, what do you do for fun around here then?” Hex asked as he looked at them.

"Try not to die of heat stroke?" The taller skeleton said. He snorted.

  
“Well that doesn’t sound like much fun.” Serif chuckled a little.

"Actually...I have two little sisters back home. Twins. I'll sometimes play with them when I'm not resting, working, or helping our parents out."

“Aww, see? That’s much nicer.” Hex said, leaning against the stone edge of the pool. Serif shrugged and sat on the edge of the pool, dipping his feet into the water. Hex looked over at Jarrett. “What about you?”

"Train. Gotta keep this body smoking hot." He said and flexed his muscles. The smaller skeleton chuckled.

“Doing pretty good so far then.”

“Thanks.” The green monster replied. He looked back to Serif and splashed some water at him.

“Come on, loosen that tight ass and have fun.” Serif raised his arms to block the splash and looked at him.

“I’m a skeleton. We don’t have asses.”

“I can still tell how tight yours is.” The taller skeleton gave a confused look, then looked over at Jarrett when the other monster let out an amused snort and a stifled chuckle.

“Is he always this oblivious?” Hex asked as he looked at the hybrid.

“Very. One time, one of the servant girls asked if she could “handle his sword” and his response was: Uh, no, cause only guards or guards-in-training are allowed to handle weapons.” He replied. The smaller skeleton snorted and shook his head.

  
“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Jarrett said.

“I kinda feel bad for the girl. Would have been better to get straight up rejected.” Serif just looked at the two in confusion.

“I’ll give you a hint, she didn’t mean the weapon.” Hex told him.

“Then what did she want to handle?” The shorter skeleton looked like he was resisting the urge to face palm. He looked at Serif, then down at his pelvis, then back to his face. Serif looked down, then reached under his skirt and pulled out his hidden dagger. “You mean this?” Hex stared at him, looking dumbfounded.

  
“...I give up.” The taller skeleton looked at his fellow guard when the other burst into laughter.

“What?”

“Dude, she wanted your dick.” Jarrett told him. Serif’s face turned bright purple as she blushed in flusteredness and embarrassment.

“...oh…” He curled in on himself a little. Hex looked at the hybrid and threw his arms up.

“Thank you.” He gave him a grin and a thumbs up. The male skeleton just stayed quiet, feeling ridiculous for not having realized that and for making a fool of himself in front of the prince. The shorter skeleton noticed and reached over, patting his shoulder.

  
“Come on, it’s not a big deal. Not everyone gets dirty humor. My dad still doesn’t get them and he’s ancient.” Serif glanced over at him. “Let’s talk about something more heartwarming...you said you had sisters?”

“Yeah. Twins. The older one is Sasha. Dad says she’s a spitfire of a girl. Mom says she gets it from Dad.” He said, smiling a little. “She can be a little hot headed at times, but she’s smart and cares about her family. The younger one is Sarah. She’s a real sweetheart and likes to help others. Dad says we’ll have to be careful when she’s of “marrying age” because boys will be swarming from all over for her hand in marriage.” Hex chuckled at the last part.

  
“Oh right, didn’t Onyx call you brother earlier?”

“Yeah. He’s Mom’s eldest kid. He was born early, so he was rather sick when he was a kid. He wanted to prove his worth because Mom and Dad didn’t want him doing too much and cause him to be even more sick, so...when he turned thirteen, he signed up to be a servant for a noble’s family.” Serif replied and his gaze darkened a little and his smile faded. “...let’s just say he’s lucky the High Chief took him in when he did. If he hadn’t…” Hex just nodded.

  
“Sounds familiar...he seemed to be doing good now though.” The taller skeleton nodded.

“Yeah. His former boss as a servant here wasn’t the best person, but at least his punishments haven’t been too harsh compared to...before.” He said, then looked at Hex. “What about your family? I remember when you were introduced to the High Chief’s family that your sister mentioned she was adopted?” Hex sighed.

  
“Where do I even start?” Serif gave a slight smile.

“From the beginning?”

“Very funny.” Hex replied. “Well…”


	14. Hex

“One day, we received word from one of our ally tribes that they had been attacked. So my dad ordered several of the warriors to head there and back them up. But when they got there, it was too late. Several of the tribe members were dead, dying, or severely injured. They searched for any possible survivors to bring back home to safety. One of the survivors was Electra. They found her hiding in a small burrow, it took a lot of convincing to get her to come out. She almost bit off some of their fingers. Once they managed to get all the survivors together and the more severe wounds tended to, they all returned to our tribe.” Serif’s eyes widened as he listened.

“Wow...she lost almost her entire tribe?” Hex nodded.

“Most of the ones who survived still live with us, though some of them died and a few went off on their own.” The taller skeleton gave a small nod. “It took a long while for Electra to recover, she was badly shaken up from the experience. Unfortunately, most of the huts were already full of families or injured tribesmen. So, dad offered to take her in, so she had a place to stay. This was about a year or so after...my sibling was born, so you can imagine dad had his hands full.”

“What about your mother? Couldn’t she have helped out?” Serif asked. The older skeleton paused for a moment, thinking over his answer.

“She passed away giving birth to our younger sibling, so no.”

“O-oh. I...I’m sorry to hear that.” He said.

“It’s fine...Electra eventually got used to and started trusting us.” Hex added. “While Electra wasn’t directly related to us, she took her role as part of our family preeetty seriously. Like seriously, I think she has so many sticks up her ass she’s grown a whole tree there.” He said, chuckling. Serif tried to hold back a snort, though he had an amused smile.

“And your sibling?”

“Coda, Ella’s trying her best to make sure they don’t turn out as well as I did, but out of the two of us I’d say I’m more fun for them to be around.”

“Oh?”

“She keeps saying I’m a bad influence, but I’d beg to differ.” Hex said, jumping up to sit on the edge of the pool. He saw Serif’s face turn bright purple and turn away from him.

“I-I can see why.” Hex raised an eyebrow as he looked at him, then shrugged and leaned back as he turned and sat down.

“Anyway, Coda’s a pretty chill person, they like to play and make sure people are happy. They’re adorable like that~” Serif nodded. Hex looked at the two guards. “Say, have any interesting places you guys like to go to?”

“Well, sometimes we go to the training yard to spar and hone our fighting skills.” Serif replied.

“Are you two any good?” He asked. Jarrett looked at him and grinned.

“Prince, you’re looking at the son of Commander Alphys. I’m one of the best fighters in the guard.” The hybrid said. He nodded and looked at Serif.

“And you tight ass?” The taller skeleton pouted slightly.

“I’m a decently good fighter. I’ve been part of the guard since before my sisters were born.”

“In that case, how would you feel about a little spar?” Hex asked, looking between them. They both blinked and looked at him.

“Between the two of us?” Serif asked, pointing at himself and Jarrett.

“Like you two against me, together or seperate, doesn’t matter to me.” He said. Their eyes widened a little.

“Uh...I’m not sure that’s a good idea. What if one of us injures you? Chief Dream will have our hides for it.” The taller skeleton said.

“Ah, you’re confident enough to believe you’d actually hit me. Nice.” Hex said, grinning.

“No. We just don’t want to get in trouble because you got hurt.” Jarrett told him. He huffed at that and stood up, going over to where he’d left his clothes.

“Didn’t you say something about having to do whatever I asked earlier?” He asked, glancing over at Serif.

“...yes.” The younger skeleton replied hesitantly.

“So, I’m asking you to spar with me.”

“In that case, I’m staying out of this.” Jarrett said. “As much as I enjoy sparring, I’d rather not get on my mom or the chief’s bad side.” The hybrid told him. The skeleton shrugged.

“Your loss.” Serif sighed and rubbed his skull, muttering something under his breath.

“Fine. I’ll duel you. Just one round though.” He told him as he looked back at the prince. The shorter skeleton smiled.

“Great. You better not try to hold back though. Pity’s gonna get you smacked into the ground face first.” Serif just rolled his eyes and got up, putting his sandals, wrists guards, and collar back on. Once the two got dressed, they headed outside to the training yard, which was empty at the moment. Hex looked around the area, nodding in approval. “Yeah, this’ll do.” The taller skeleton went over to where a rack of practice weapons stood and grabbed a pair of curved swords, twirling them in his hands for a moment before holding onto them.

“Pick your choice.” He said. Hex looked over the weapons, passing the swords and spears and checking the smaller weapons.

“This’ll do.” He said, picking up a sickle, then looked at Jarrett. “Mind working as our referee?”

“Sure.” He said. “Not sure how sparring works in the jungle tribes, but we have some rules. First, no groin hits. This isn’t street fighting. Second, this is practice so no trying to intentionally harm your opponent like breaking a limb or damaging an eye. Third, uh…” Jarrett paused as he tried to remember the third rule.

“Maintain your honor. If your opponent has admitted defeat, neither you nor your opponent are to attempt a strike back.” Serif added as he took his position on one side of the area.

“Yeah. What he said.” The hybrid said.

“Alright, sounds good to me.” Hex replied, moving over to his side of the little arena.

“On my mark...get set...fight!” Jarrett shouted. Hex held his weapon ready and charged towards the taller skeleton. Serif readied his and watched the prince. He moved quickly and aimed for one of Serif’s swords to try and disarm him. The taller skeleton flipped the sword Hex was aiming for and swung at his arm with the inside curve aimed towards the bones while he swung the other sword at his neck. He dodged down and slid past Serif, quickly getting his footing and stood up, twisting his body around as he swung his free arm up towards the taller skeleton’s neck, while the other reached up to attempt to trap it with his blade. Before his other arm could swing upwards, Serif twisted his body away from him and raised his knee straight up to his chest and kicked out, pushing the shorter skeleton away. Hex grunted as he was kicked back, managing to keep his balance and not fall over. He could see Serif smirk a little as the taller skeleton flipped his sword back around.

“I’ll admit, you’re not bad.” Hex said as he looked at him.

“I told you. I’ve been in the guard for several years.”

“Guess it wasn’t for nothing then.” He said.

“You got that right.” Serif replied and charged at him. The shorter skeleton got ready to dodge or attack, waiting to see what Serif was aiming to do first. The taller skeleton swung one of his swords at him, not really getting close to actually hitting him, but forcing Hex to move back to avoid him. He kept backing away as Serif kept swinging, almost hitting a wooden climbing wall behind him. Serif swung his swords to pin the other’s neck. Hex readied his weapon and jumped backwards, hitting the wall feet first to bounce back from it and over Serif. This time, he managed to hit one of his swords away before the taller skeleton could turn around, his sword flying to the side and burying itself into the ground a few feet away from the two. Serif twisted around to face him and swung his remaining sword as he lunged at him.  
The shorter skeleton quickly stepped back, swinging up his own weapon which collided with Serif’s sword. Serif pushed against him, repositioning his feet. Hex had to move back, as he couldn’t really push back if Serif really put his strength into it. The taller skeleton pushed back hard, like he was attempting to throw him to the ground. He noticed this and grinned a bit as he got an idea, pushing back against Serif slightly so he had time to switch their directions so his back was towards the wall again, letting the taller skeleton push him back against it. Serif pinned him against the wall, his sword barely giving Hex room to move his own weapon while his leg raised up and pinned his body. He looked up at Serif.

“Oh my, looks like I’m trapped~”

“Do you surrender?”

“Oh I do. I surrender my whole body to you~” Serif stared at him for a moment, then his face turned bright purple and he quickly pulled away.

“I-I can’t let you do that. You’re to be wed to Princess Uni.” He said. Hex sighed.

“Still a tight ass. We’ll have to work on that I guess.” He said and put his weapon away. “I admit defeat. You win this time.”

“Alright…” He nodded and stretched a bit, walking over to where Jarrett was.

“So, what should we do next?” The hybrid looked down at the shadows.

“If you’d rather not get heat exhaustion, then we best be getting you to your new room so you can rest.” He said.

“Alright,if you say so.” Hex replied, glancing up at the sky, still not fully used to the amount of sunlight. He nodded and the three of them headed inside.


	15. Onyx

Onyx, Garrett, and Uni split up from the other three and headed back towards the stables after leaving the lunch room. He glanced back and watched his brother, Garrett, and the prince head towards the baths, though he jumped a bit when he felt a tap and saw Garrett looking at him. “Sorry.”

“Don’t get distracted. Focus on your task and stay alert.” The older monster told him. Onyx nodded and faced forward again. Uni looked back at the two of them.

  
“Everything alright?” They asked.

“Yes, Princess. Just making sure the newbie is staying focused.” Garrett replied. They nodded and looked at Onyx. He glanced over when he noticed them looking at him and gave a small, nervous smile. The blue eyed skeleton smiled back before turning around as they reached the stables, eyes narrowing as they looked over at Baku, who shrunk a little and tried to walk away. “Would you like one of us to retrieve him, your highness?” The hybrid asked. Uni looked back to them, the glare vanishing.

“Are you sure? He can be quite difficult.” He nodded. “Well...alright, be careful.”

“I-I can get him.” Onyx said. Garrett opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think before closing it.

“Go right on ahead then.” He replied. The yellow-eyed skeleton nodded and set his sword by the fence post before climbing into the enclosure and going over to Baku.

“Come on boy.” Onyx said, reaching his hand out to grab the rope. The sheepaca glanced at him and huffed before stepping away from the skeleton. He frowned a bit and moved closer. Baku moved away again, kicking up a few pieces of hay at Onyx as he did so. He stepped back to avoid the hay pieces, then narrowed his eyes a little as he looked at the animal. “Come here.” He said and lunged forward to grab the rope again. The animal side stepped to avoid him, making a snort like sound when Onyx missed. He grunted as he landed face-first in the ground, then pushed himself up as he spat out some coarse dirt and hay and growled as he slightly glared at Baku. The sheepaca stuck his tongue out at the skeleton before turning away from him, flicking his tail in Onyx’s face. Onyx swung his arm out to grab the tail, but missed. He huffed and got back to his feet and chased after him. Baku ran to the other side of the enclosure, avoiding Onyx whenever the skeleton got close to him. The skeleton growled in frustration as he chased after the sheepaca and kept trying to grab onto the rope.

He finally managed to grab onto the rope, but Baku kept running and pulled him along. Onyx yelped as he was pulled off his feet and dragged around the enclosure. Thankfully he managed to keep his grip for a while, but his foot got caught on a rock and he let go, falling face first into some dung. He heard Baku stop running and move closer to him. When he heard the sound of snuffling from the sheepaca sniffing, he threw his arms up and grabbed onto the rope. “Gotcha.” He said, holding on tight. The animal’s head snapped back in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden movement. Onyx got to his feet and tightened one hand’s grip while he used the other to wipe off what he could of the dung, trying not to get any into his eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Are you okay?” Uni called to him.

“I’m fine.” He replied, looking over. They nodded and walked over to the fence of the enclosure, holding their hand out to take the rope tied to Baku’s reins. Onyx walked over, holding onto the rope with both hands before handing it over to the princess.

“Thank you Onyx.” Uni said as they took the rope. He felt his cheeks grow slightly warm as he smiled.

“It was no pro-” The male skeleton stopped when he felt something wet trickling onto his foot and looked down, then jumped back as he let out a shout of disgust. Uni looked at him in confusion and glanced down as well, narrowing their eyes before looking at Baku.

  
“That’s it mister, no treats for two weeks.” The sheepaca whined and lowered his head in defeat. They shook their head and looked back to Onyx. “I’m so sorry for his behavior. I thought I taught him better than this.” Onyx said nothing, his face now burning in embarrassment.

“...I just need to take a wash.” He muttered after a while and headed over. “I’ll...be back in a bit.” Onyx told them, then quickly walked to the nearest guard station to wash off. The skeleton gritted his teeth as he stepped into the station and to the washroom, grabbing a bucket and filling it up. He grabbed some rags, then went to a stall and sat down to wash himself, using most of the rags to clean the dung off his face. Once he finished cleaning up, he threw the rags into the laundry basket, then left the bucket and covered it so someone else could use the remaining water later. Onyx grabbed a towel and dried himself off before leaving to catch up with Garrett and Uni.

“I can’t believe I made a fool of myself like that.” He muttered, rubbing his face. Onyx said, then smacked his face. “No. Focus on your task. You need to keep the princess safe. It doesn’t matter that they probably think you’re a fool and are better suited as a jester…” He spotted Uni and Garret waiting for him by the stables, both staying in the shade while they waited. Onyx saw Garrett look towards him and held out the skeleton’s weapon. He thanked him and put his sheath on.

“...We should head back inside, looks like it’s going to start getting warmer out here.” Uni told the two, glancing at Onyx for a second.

“Yes Princess.” They both said and escorted them back inside the temple.

“...How are your sisters doing?” Uni asked as they entered the temple, looking at Onyx. He glanced at them.

“They’re doing well. The new house is bigger, so they have more room to run around a bit inside where it’s cooler. And they’re closer to some of their friends, so they’re happy about that.” The blue eyed skeleton smiled.

“I’m happy to hear that. They sound like sweet girls from what I've heard.”

“They are, especially Sarah.”

“What about you and Serif?”

“We’re adjusting. Mostly had to pick a new route to get to work from home.” He replied. They nodded and thought for a moment before speaking up again.

“What do you do at home if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um...not much, really. Most of our money goes to making sure everyone has enough to eat, so I just mostly watch the girls.” Onyx said, trying to stay focused on his surroundings.

“Oh, I’m guessing that doesn’t leave much time for other activities?” He nodded. They frowned a little. “Shame.”

“Keeping an eye on my sisters isn’t exactly easy though.” Uni nodded.

“I don’t doubt that, it has been quite a while but I still remember how much trouble Aina could be at times when she was little.” He smiled a little, trying to imagine that. Uni chuckled a little. “There was this one time when she sneaked to the lower levels of the temple to try to get to our uncles study, but she was caught by one of the booby traps.”

“Seriously?” Uni nodded, smiling at the memory.

“The guards found her in there and were quite puzzled by how she managed to get down there.

“How did she manage?”

“She still refuses to tell us, guess she wants to keep her tricks a mystery.” Uni replied. Onyx nodded.

“Fair enough.”

“Do your sister’s get themselves into trouble?” They asked.

“Oh certainly. Though it’s more of Sarah causing some mischief and Sasha ends up being the target.” Onyx replied.

“Oh? What sort of mischief?” They asked, sounding curious.

“Where do I begin?” He muttered, then started to tell Uni about the pranks his younger sister would play, how they’d sometimes make a mess when trying to help with chores, and a few other things his sisters had done. The three stopped at a nearby balcony to sit, Uni listened to Onyx talk about his sisters’ antics, laughing at some of the sillier incidents he mentioned. “I’m sure Mother has more though, since he brings them with him to work so they’re not left alone at home during the day.” Onyx added once he finished telling the ones he could remember. Uni nodded.

  
“I’ve heard quite a few stories from him as well.”

“Oh? Like what?” He asked.

“Hm, like the time Sarah almost set fire to the house on accident. He usually mentions that story anytime someone hasn’t put the fire out properly in the kitchen.”

“Ah, I remember that one. She accidentally got her doll too close to the fire and in a panic, she tried to throw it outside, but it hit the roof and it caught on fire.” Onyx said, chuckling a bit. “I think we all nearly had a soulattack that day.”

“Thank stars it was put out quickly. He has mentioned some stories about you and Serif as well, though there aren’t that many.” Uni said. Onyx tensed slightly, silently praying his mom didn’t share anything embarrassing.

“I see…” They seemed to notice the change.

  
“It’s nothing bad. I understand the worry though. I wouldn’t want my parents sharing everything either.” Onyx nodded, relaxing a little when he heard that.

“Yeah. Especially now that I’m a guard I need to start acting tougher.” The princess gave a small nod before looking out towards town.

“...I see.” Onyx nodded and looked out as well, glancing around. His head perked up when he heard voices coming from the southwestern gate and looked over.

“Something’s going on over there.” He said. Uni and Garret looked over as well, seeing the gate open and one of the guards leading two other people towards the temple. Onyx frowned. “We should go see what’s going on.” The male skeleton said as he looked at the other two. Garrett nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go.”

“Looks like they’re going through the side...oh no. It’s likely another patient for Uncle.” Uni said when they saw where the guard was leading the visitors. The three left the balcony and headed down to the ground level of the temple where the visitors were coming into. Onyx watched as the escorting guard sent another one to go fetch Uni’s uncle. A few minutes later, Nightmare walked in with Aina and Electra following and the three of them went over to the visitors. Onyx glanced at the princess.

“Should we move closer?” Uni looked at him and nodded.

  
“Just remember to keep some distance until we know if it’s anything contagious.” He nodded and the three of them went closer.

“Please, help my daughter. The healers in the village haven’t been able to cure her. You’re our last hope.” The visitor, a male desert hare monster, begged, holding a young female monster in their arms.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Nightmare said and moved closer to them. One of his hands glowed and he slowly moved it over along the girl’s body, looking focused. His expression shifted as he closed his eyes and lowered his arm. “I’m sorry. The illness has too strong of a hold of her.” He told the monster. “The best I’d be able to do is to try and ease her suffering so she may pass on peacefully.” The hare monster lowered his head and held his daughter close.

“There is nothing else that can be done..?”

“I’m afraid not. Even if we were to try, there’s no guarantee she’d make it long enough for any medicine to start taking effect. The best thing we can do right now is to ease her pain.” Nightmare replied. He gave a small nod.

“...Do what you can then, please...” The eldest skeleton nodded and led them into one of the halls.

“That’s the fifth person this moon cycle...” Uni said as they watched the three disappear from sight. Garrett nodded in agreement.

“There aren’t many herbs left for healers to use, and healing magic is used for injuries.” The hybrid said. Onyx frowned as he listened. This was why his home tribe needed the alliance. This is why he decided to become a guard. To make sure his family and home was safe.


	16. Uni

Uni was silent as they picked up a few things from their chambers to move to the one they would be sharing with Hex, clearly deep in thought. Onyx and Garrett stood guard nearby, staying silent as well as to not disturb the princess. The star eyed skeleton paused after a moment, standing still for a minute as if in a trance before speaking up. "I think that's everything...we can go now." They both nodded and Garrett led the way to the new room they would be staying in. Uni remained quiet during the walk, seeming unfocused. They were suddenly brought out of their thoughts when they tripped over. Thankfully they were quickly caught.

"A-are you okay, Princess?" They heard Onyx ask as he helped them stand back up.

"I'm okay, thank you Onyx." Uni replied as they looked at said guard. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." A slight yellow color appeared on his cheeks as he cleared his throat.

"O-of course. Uh, please be more careful." He said and went back to his position.

"I will." They replied before the three kept walking towards the chambers. Hex was already there along with Serif and Jarrett by the time they got there. The other two guards bowed to the princess when they came in.

"I thought the room Ella and I shared was big, but this is just ridiculous." Hex said.

"The large rooms allow air flow to help keep them cooler." Garrett told him.

"Still, you could easily split it into four different rooms." Hex said as he looked at the hybrid.

"This particular room is usually used for visiting royal families." Onyx said.

"Aah, so it's a tactical thing, that makes more sense." The shorter skeleton said. Serif nodded. Garrett looked at the two royals.

"The four of us will be in rotating shifts of two. Jarrett, you'll be with Onyx this time and I'll be with Serif. Since the night is still young, you two will take the first shift. We'll be in the room across the hall so we're nearby should anything happen." The three of them nodded.

"Smart plan, bro." Jarrett said, and stood up. "You two go rest then. Moonhigh, we'll come wake you up to switch places."

"Alright." Serif replied, then turned and bowed to Hex and Uni. "Have a restful night."

"You too, tight ass." Hex replied. Uni looked to the side, holding back a snicker and trying to keep a straight face. The taller skeleton gave an unamused look as he stood up, then left the room with Garrett. Onyx and Jarrett left as well and stationed themselves outside the door. Uni could see Onyx glance back at them before Jarrett closed the door. Uni put their things away before sitting down at the foot of the large bed that was in the room. They glanced up when Hex sat next to them.

"So, what's going on in your head?" The shorter skeleton asked as he looked at them. "I mean, you've been kind of weird since...earlier today. At least, I think that's weird for you."

"It's nothing, I've just been thinking, that's all." Uni replied. Hex raised an eyebrow at them, not looking convinced in the slightest.

"It's obviously something, and if we're supposed to get married, it'd probably be a good idea to start practising the whole being honest with each other thing." Uni glanced down at the floor as they thought about his words.

"That...is a part of it actually, the marriage I mean." The shorter skeleton nodded and sat a bit straighter, as if to tell them he was listening. "I...We just saw an example of why it needs to happen. People are getting sick and dying because of the drought, and our alliance would fix that. But...I still don't want to do it. And it's awful and selfish to think like that."

"Awful? Maybe. And shouldn't we be allowed to be selfish every once in a while?" Hex asked.

"Not when people's lives depend on it…"Uni replied, pulling their legs up to their chest.

"In that case, why didn't you guys leave to find a new home when things started getting bad?"

"Because it's even more dangerous than staying here. The desert is a dangerous place, hostile clans and wanderers are common, the jungle you live in is the closest shelter from the heat and we aren't used to it or aware of all of it's threats." Uni explained.

"Oh. What about the strip of grassland between our lands?"

"That is neutral territory, but not nearly large enough for our current population. We've managed through past droughts, it gets hard and there are some deaths...but this is the worst we've seen in years. So...if there is a way to make things easier, we have to take that chance...even if I don't want to." Uni said, their voice shaking slightly at the last part. They felt a hand on their shoulder.

"Honestly…I feel the same way. Our tribe is in a similar situation. That blasted tribe took over our neighboring tribes, so we're cut off from the rest of our allies. We'd send messengers, but it's dangerous as well. One wrong move and you're dinner." The star eyed skeleton frowned as they looked at him.

"I'm sorry, it can't be easy being away knowing the situation."

"...it's not. But my dad is strong and he's one of the most powerful jungle tribe leaders. He won't let those boar-rear faced Claws win so easily. And our people know our territory better than anyone. They make use of what we have to defend our home. Heh. You should see the Claws when they get butt-fulls of darts with poison frog venom on them." He said with a grin. Uni snorted and chuckled a little at the image in their head.

"Well...I guess we're in the same boat then."

"Yeah. Though…" Hex glanced around a bit before leaning closer to them. "If we're being completely honest with each other, I'd rather be rocking that Serif guy's tight ass. Cause dang is it fine~" Uni blushed and snorted, laughing a little.

"You like to say exactly what you think, huh? That's kind of refreshing actually."

"Pretty much. Though it has gotten me in trouble quite a bit."

"I can imagine." They replied, relaxing a little.

"What about you? Anyone's ass you wanna rock? Or anyone you want to rock your's?" Hex asked, grinning a bit more. Their blush grew more and they looked to the side.

"No one specifically…" He tilted his head a little.

"No one? Really?"

"Really. I guess I just haven't gotten the chance to get to know anyone well enough." Uni said.

"Ah. You're that kind of person." Hex commented, then shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess. Don't really want some boar-head to take advantage of you." They nodded and looked at him.

"What about you?" Hex pulled his hand back and leaned back as he hummed a bit.

"Well...let's just say that if they're beetle-brained enough to try anything, they end up regretting it. Especially if they decide to mess with my siblings." He told them.

"Seems your siblings are well taken care of then."

"Course they are. They've got the best big brother in the entire world~" He said with a cocky smile. They smiled and leaned back a bit as well.

"I bet they do." Hex nodded.

"You know...maybe we can make this work." Uni said. He looked at them.

"Oh?"

"We can get along at least, and you're not a selfish, entitled, lazy beetle dung like many of the people that have asked to marry me in the past." They said. Hex laughed a little.

"So you can speak up for yourself. That's good." He commented with a smile. "And I agree. Ella said the same to me after we got here. Even if we don't love each other, we can still try to get along as friends. Plus, who wouldn't want to be friends with an amazing guy like me?" The shorter skeleton pretended to flex. They chuckled.

"Friends sounds good to me." Hex smiled and nodded.

"Alrighty then." Uni smiled and laid down on the bed.

"Just a word of advice, from what I've seen Serif can be quite shy." They told him.

"All the more of a fun challenge." He said.

"I'll be impressed if you manage the challenge then." Uni replied.

"Thanks." The room fell quiet for a few minutes.

"So...there's really no one that you're interested in romantically?" Hex asked as he looked down at Uni.

"Not really...I don't really have much free time, and most of that i spend with my sister, I guess I just haven't thought about it much." They told him.

"I see…"

"I'm not even fully sure what I'm looking for in a partner."

"Well, think of what you don't want in a partner and think of the opposite trait." He told them as he laid down. They nodded and tried to think.

"Okay...they'd have to be kind, brave, sweet...being good looking wouldn't hurt either."

"There you go then. Now think of people you know of that are like that and you got your possible partners." The shorter skeleton said.

"It won't be that easy...but I suppose it's a start." Hex nodded.

"Our marriage might complicate things a bit as well." They added.

“I mean, it’s not illegal to have other partners if both in the couple are okay with it, right?”

"Not illegal, but very, very frowned upon." Uni told him.

"So? It's not that big of a deal." Hex said.

"It is when reputation is a big part of your life. One scandal and you're no longer respected by anyone…"

“Geez, does everyone here have tight asses?” The star eyed skeleton chuckled a little.

"Not everyone...but a lot of people, including many of our neighbour and ally tribes."

“Still…”

"I guess that add's another criteria to a possible partner. They can't spread gossip...which will narrow it down more." Uni said. He nodded.

"See? You'll find someone in no time."

"I hope so…"

“Don’t sweat it for right now.” Hex told them, then yawned. “I’m gonna get some sleep. Night.”

"Alright, goodnight." They replied. The taller skeleton could soon hear him snoring as he fell fast asleep, leaving them alone with their thoughts. Uni got up and glanced at the door before going to the balcony, feeling the need for some fresh air. They leaned against the railing, looking down at the buildings and streets below. It was quiet and only a few lights were lit. Uni looked over a few of the buildings, then glanced to the side when they thought they saw something out of the corner of their eye. They frowned, thinking they'd seen something move in the shadows. "...Probably a guard."  
The sound of the door opening could be heard from behind them. Uni jumped a little at the sudden sound and looked over. Onyx had poked his head in. He glanced over at the bed, seemingly noticing that Hex was asleep before looking back at them.

“Everything alright in here?” The yellow-eyed skeleton asked in a hushed tone, as though trying to make sure he didn’t wake up the prince. They nodded and walked back in.

"Yes, we're fine...thank you Onyx." He nodded.

“Alright. Um...i-if you need anything, just let us know.” Uni smiled a bit and nodded.  
"I will, thank you." They could see a slight blush appear on his cheeks as he nodded and pulled back, closing the door behind him. They looked at the door for a moment before going over to the bed and laying down on their side. Uni sighed and closed their eyes, trying to relax and fall asleep.


	17. ???

The door opened to the hidden room and the figure made sure it closed behind them. “You’re late.” A deep and silky sounding voice said to the newcomer.

"It's not exactly easy to get here unnoticed." Another voice replied. The first one huffed.

“It’s bad enough we lost one of our assassins. If you’re not here on time, you risk only yourselves.” They growled, then turned back to the newcomer. “You brought the mask?” The figure nodded and set said mask onto a table in the middle of the room.

"I tested it on the way, works like a charm."

“Good.” The figure said and picked it up. The mask was shaped like a spider’s head with the fangs of a snake, and a tassel in the back that was shaped like a scorpion's tail.

"Two of our spies have managed to sneak into the village, they're keeping us updated on what's going on inside." One of the voices said.

“Excellent.” They said and set the mask back down. “Now then...since our first attempt was ruined by that pathetic servant, we’ll need a new plan. No doubt the High Chief will only increase security as time goes on. Let me hear your ideas.”

"The security will likely be highest during the wedding, so we'll have to strike before that." There were nods of agreement. The figure hummed a bit, then turned to one of the buffer looking figures in the room.

“Tell me what you know about the guards protecting the prince and princess.”

"Two are the commander's sons, so they'll likely be the bigger challenge. The other two are brothers as well, one is the guy that our assassin took down, the other is the servant that took said assassin down."

“What else? Any weaknesses or strengths?”

"Obviously the servant is new and inexperienced, and seems to be easily distracted as well, the other three we're not sure of." The first figure nodded and was quiet as they thought.

“...here’s what the current plan will be for now. Our spies have told us that there is no set date for the wedding. We’ll gather information on the four of them, learn what you can. Get friendly if need be or get them drunk to spill what they know.” They said. “Report back whatever you learn, then we’ll meet back up to next discuss how we’ll deal with them.”

"And, what about the mask?"

“It will stay with me for safekeeping. I can’t very well show myself around the temple, now can I?” They nodded.

"Understood."

“Good. And what word do we have of our spies in the jungle?”

"One's gone missing, the other two made it to one of the tribes and are keeping their distance for now." The figure scowled a little, and sighed.

“Blazing camel dung... At least two of them made it.” They muttered. “Send a messenger bird to them telling them to gather what information they can and to await further orders.”

They nodded and one left to do as commanded. The figure picked the mask up and carried it over to another table where an assortment of plants and animal parts lay, as well as vials of unknown substances. They set it on a shelf above the table. “As for the rest of you, continue on as normal. If there are any sudden changes that may ruin our plan, report it to me immediately. Understood?”

"Understood." Everyone replied.

“Now go.” They commanded. The figure listened as the others left and stared at the mask for a while, then turned towards another wall that was filled with documents dating back to over two decades ago. "I'll make them pay…" They snarled, indigo eyes flashing briefly as the room turned completely dark.


End file.
